


Letters Across the Sea, Brought You to Me

by agoddamnsupernova



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Pen Pals, Soldier AU, soldier!Beca, this was a tumblr prompt that went haywire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:40:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 34,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoddamnsupernova/pseuds/agoddamnsupernova
Summary: Beca thinks it's pointless writing to the outside, but one goofy brunette might just change her mind.





	1. Postcards and Open Hearts

Emily is in her third year of college when a booth opens up on campus, it’s for a program to write letters to a soldier on the front lines. “Like a pen pal?” She asks, skimming through a pamphlet.

“Sort of, you fill out a small questionnaire and then we select a soldier who is also in the program and match you up, then you write as often as you want after that.” The woman says holding out a little clipboard.

Emily shrugs and takes it, filling it out while she hums. “Are we allowed to send care packages too?”

“Yes ma’am, there’s a list of approved things in the pamphlet and we also encourage sending pictures. Not just of yourself but of pets or just the park even, it can really brighten these guys days.” Emily smiles at that, she’d have to break her camera out.

“That’s really cool, so how does this even begin?” Em wonders, leaning on the table a bit.

“So, the soldiers fill out a similar questionnaire but send letters before hand, usually something like “dear pen pal,” and some vague info. Then they sign it with their name and we’ll forward one of those letters to you once we’ve figured out who to pair you with,” the woman, Stacie, Emily finally reads on her name tag, says with a smile.

“That’s really cool, I can’t wait,” Emily grins, happy to make a soldier’s day if she could.

“Who knows maybe you’ll even find love,” Stacie winks, making sure Emily had all the proper information. “It’s been known to happen.”

* * *

 

It’s three weeks before Emily gets a letter in the mail, the address is written in neat cursive while the return info is written in cramped scrawl, Second Lieutenant Mitchell above the base address. “Huh,” Emily says, shrugging her shoulders as she splits the top of the envelope.

_Dear whoever gets this,_

_My commanding officer says this will do us some good, writing to someone on the outside. I’m not really sure I agree but I guess I don’t really have a choice. Not to sound rude or anything, I just feel like they’re trying to put a band-aid on the situation. I mean, we’re at war and they want us to write in our spare time, I just don’t get it._

_The pamphlet they gave us says that I’m supposed to tell you things about me. So, here it goes; My name is Beca, never Rebecca, unless you’re my mother and you’re yelling at me. I love music and the fact that I can’t have my iPod with me all the time is bothersome, but it’s whatever, the music is in my head either way. I work with dogs when I’m not dealing with people and I have my very own one, named Lincoln, don’t know where’d be without him. I miss rain and grass and even dandelions and I’m allergic to those. I miss my dad’s attempt at cooking and my stepbrother’s crooked smile and sometimes I even miss my ex, but that’s more about just having someone close than anything._

_Maybe that was too much information but I don’t have the energy to rewrite this so, have fun digging through the pile of garbage that is me. I’ve also included a picture of me with Lincoln, it was taken a few months ago, but it's one of the only ones I have where you can see my face._

_-2LT. Beca Mitchell_

_P.S if you ever decide to send a package....Cheetos are my favorite...._

Emily smiles at that, pulling the photo from the envelope, her smile growing. There’s a woman standing next to a rather large German Shepherd, she’s smiling and it looks like the dog is too. “She’s so small,” Em breathes out, noting how Lincoln’s head comes up past Beca’s hip. She’s got light brown hair slicked back into a neat bun, her cheekbones high (Emily can't tell if those are freckles dusted across them or just a shadow) and her jaw sharp and Emily would like to think she could see Beca’s eye color, but the photographer was just a bit too far away for that.

Emily wastes no time digging out a notebook so she can write back, the smile never leaving her lips even when it takes her fifteen minutes to locate a pen, only to have had one stuck behind her ear from class.

_Beca,_

_Your letter really made me smile, though I’m not sure if it was what you said or just how you said it, but either way, thank you. I can see why you would think that this might be pointless, but sometimes it’s just nice to have someone on the outside to talk to. I might not always know what to say, but I can try._

_My name is Emily, Emily Junk, you might be thinking that I have an unfortunate last name but listen, my father’s is Hardon and I just don’t want to be saddled with that. I’m twenty-one and in my third year of college at Bardon University, I’m taking way too many credits for a sane person but I want to make my family proud. I’ll graduate with a teaching degree next year. I want to teach music. I also love music if you can’t tell. If you’ve ever heard that Jesse J song, Flashlight, I wrote that. Doesn’t sound as impressive on paper I’m afraid._

_I love dogs, Lincoln is a cutie, give him a hug from me? That might sound silly but I would probably smother him with love if I ever met him. Animals are just too pure for this world. I have a cat named Bun (I found him eating a hot-dog bun when he was a kitten) and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He may be an asshole but he’s my asshole, ya know?_

_I’m heading to the lake with my friends Chloe and Amy this weekend, I’ll dig my camera out and take some pictures for you, I don’t know that they won’t make you a little homesick, but then again, maybe being homesick isn’t a terrible thing. Knowing you have something to come back to is a nice feeling. I’ll stick a picture of me and one of Bun in with this, hopefully you’ll find my cat as cute as I find your dog._

_-Emily_

_P.S I’ll put together a package for you soon, cheetos included._

Emily reads over the letter a few times before folding the paper carefully, setting it on her desk so she can find it after she buys some envelopes and manages to print out a picture or two for Beca.

She makes a list of things she needs from the store before she heads out for work. The idea of sending letters to a cute soldier had her mood up for the whole night, catching Chloe’s attention right off the bat.

“Who’s the guy?” Chloe asks about half way through their shift, making Emily snort softly as she wipes down the bar.

“There’s no guy,” Emily says truthfully, shrugging her shoulders a bit when Chloe pouts. “But I am writing to a soldier.”

“You signed up for that?” Chloe chuckles, brows raised at her friend. “Who wants a pen pal that’s a killer?”

“Oh shut up, Chloe,” Emily huffs, tossing her rag at the redhead. “She’s just doing her job, you don’t have to agree with the war, but don’t hate on the people risking their lives for it either.”

Chloe opens her mouth but shuts it again, sighing softly. “Fine, fine, you’re right. What’s she like?”

“I don’t really know, this is the first letter I’ve gotten,” Em replies, doing some prep while they had the free time. “But she seems pretty cool, she works with dogs.”

“Dogs? I wonder if she works on bomb detection then,” the older girl muses, leaning against the bar with a slight smile. “That’s hot.”

Emily blushes slightly, rolling her eyes at her friend. “Would you just shut up,” she laughs, her eyes flickering through the restaurant, making sure no one needed anything before they settle on Chloe again. “She is hot but like...listen.”

“Oh! That’s why you’re all smiley,” Chloe grins, reaching across the bar to poke Emily’s side. “You’ve got a crush on your hot soldier already!”

“No, I don’t!” Emily huffs, smacking Chloe’s hand away. “I can think she’s hot and not have a crush on her.”

“Bull, Emily you fall for any pretty girl that bats an eye at you,” Chloe teases, shaking her head a little. “I know you’re bi but like...babe, you’re super fucking gay.”

“Shut up!”


	2. Just Like Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy jeeze, I never thought this would get as much love as it has. Thank you guys so much. I am loving this story so much. A special thank you to my wonderful beta readers Riley and Amy, without you, I would not have ended this the way I have. So, you know who to blame for it lmao. Enjoy!

Beca is startled awake by the sound of her door being kicked in. She bolts up, eyes wide while Lincoln growls beside her. She makes a hand gesture at the dog to silence him, watching her commanding officer, Captain Posen, stomp up to her bed. “Yes Aubrey?”

“That’s Captain to you, Mitchell,” Aubrey says, arms crossed over her chest. “Until you decide to clean up your act and take part of the pen pal program, you no longer have the privilege of calling me by my first name.”

“This is stupid, Bree,” Beca yawns, stretching her arms above her head.

“Beca, I’m supposed to be intimidating, why are you like this?” Aubrey pouts, relaxing her arms a bit.

“We’ve known each other too long, I know your bark is worse than your bite,” Beca snorts, scratching Lincoln’s ears.

“Whatever, you still have to do the program, everyone in the platoon does,” Aubrey sighs, moving to pet Lincoln, smiling when he licks her.

“I don’t understand why. What’s the point of talking to some civilian?” Beca huffs, flopping down against her pillow.

“It’s been proven to help relieve stress to have an outsider to vent to,” the older girl replies, shaking her head a bit. “And since today is a light day for you, you have no excuse.”

Beca opens her mouth to argue but gets smacked in the face with a notebook and then the pen follows. “Asshole!”

“Get writing, Mitchell!”

* * *

 

Beca is running through courses with the bomb dogs when the mail gets delivered, surprised when the private hands her a letter. “Thanks,” she says, motioning with one hand for Bowser to sit while she tucks the letter away.

She looks at the dog with a quirked brow and he just snorts at her, his tail beating the sand. “Yeah, yeah, I know it’s almost lunchtime for you guys,” she says, smiling at the way Bowser huffs at her. “Search.”

The dog immediately goes from playful to serious as he starts sniffing around the course, sitting next to a desk in the corner. She opens the drawer and smiles wide, patting his head. “Good boy,” she hums, tucking the package laced with volatiles into her bag. “Search.”

  
She runs through this with three more dogs before she’s taking their small pack back to their partners. Most training was done with their partners but once week Beca would run courses privately. She’d been their best handler in years and somehow earned the respect of all the others.

By the time they had dropped off all the dogs, Lincoln was happily wagging his tail beside her, ready for food, water, and a nice nap. “Come on buddy, let’s go get you some lunch,” she smiles, patting his head when he yips.

Beca grabs herself a tray of food and settles down at a table, setting Lincoln’s bowls on the ground, nodding when he tilts his head at her. He yips again before digging into his food happily. Beca picks at her food as she pulls her letter out of the pocket she had stashed it in. “Emily Junk.”

She snorts a little and tears into the envelope, cursing when it tears down the back, a few photos spilling onto the table. She scrambles to pick them up, not wanting them to blow away. A strangled whine comes from her lips as a hand snatches a photo off the table. “Hey!”

“Damn, Mitchell, your girl is smokin’ hot,” her fellow soldier, Cynthia Rose, comments, smirking at the picture. “How’d you manage to hook someone like this?”

“She’s not-I’m not, give it back!” Beca stumbles over her words, standing to try and snatch the photo back, only to have the taller woman hold it high in the air. “Don’t be such a cock!”

“Did I hear that right, Beca has a girlfriend?” Aubrey asks, a slight smile on her face as she watches Beca try to jump for the photo.

“I don’t!” Beca shouts, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’s just my fuckin pen pal.”

“Look at her, Bree,” CR chuckles, handing the photo over to the blonde who grins.

“Looks like you hit the jackpot, Bec,” Aubrey teases, handing the photo back. “Don’t screw it up.”

“Screw you, dude,” Beca huffs, tucking the photo along with the rest of the letter back into her pocket. “Come on, Lincoln, let’s go take a nap.”

* * *

 

Beca is curled up in bed when she finally gets a chance to read Emily’s letter and she spends the whole of it grinning at the slightly wrinkled piece of paper. “You’re something else, Junk,” she hums to herself, looking at the photos she included.

There’s one of a rather large tuxedo cat she assumes is Bun, the next is that of a sunset across a lake and the third is of Emily. She’s smiling at the camera, her dark hair falling around her face in waves. “Fuck, look at those eyes,” Beca says to Lincoln, who quirks his head at her. “She's got big brown eyes, man.”

Beca sighs softly, pulling a tin lunch box from under her bed, placing the letter and photos into it. There are a few other letters inside, mostly from her mom, but there are a few from her best friend Jesse, the man always knew how to make her smile.

She spends a few moments just soaking it in before she's rooting around for her notebook and pen.

_Emily,_

_Lincoln is currently laid with his head on my legs, I assure you I will give him lots of love from you. It’ll spoil him I’m sure, but it should be worth it. When I opened your letter earlier the photos fell out and some of my friends teased me about you. They think you’re hot. I can’t say I disagree, but I would have phrased it better than “damn she’s smokin’ hot” but I mean, I’m not going to argue that fact. Cynthia Rose can be a bit crass, but when she’s right...she’s right._

_The picture of the lake, that’s the lake at Bardon, right? My dad is a teacher there, you might know him. If you do, ask him why he doesn’t send his daughter letters anymore. I’m just kidding, you don’t have to do that, but he really is a pretty cool guy, even if he picked a monster to marry after he and my mom split. I hope you had a fun weekend with your friends, make sure to send me lots of pictures and the stories behind them. I’d kill for a lake right now._

_Lincoln and I get shipped out tomorrow to clear some big areas, wish me luck. I don’t want to get blasted feet in the air again if I can help it. Lincoln is good, but shit happens sometimes, ya know? I’m honestly more worried_ for _him than myself, I bounce back pretty quick but he’s still a pup, three years old and this is what he’s doing with his life. One day though, he’ll have a plush lawn and all the treats he can eat and a family to keep him safe. I just gotta keep him in one piece until then._

_It’ll probably be a little while before I can write back, so just don’t worry too much. I signed up for this after all. Few more years and I’ll rotate out and be able to have a semi-normal life again, maybe. Who knows, my mom always told me there was no such thing as normal, but then again she was in the army too, so I could just have a skewed perspective of the world._

_If you’re serious about the cheetos...can you get the jalapeno cheddar kind? I would fuckin kiss you if you did. Like the spicy salty combo is my favorite thing ever. I will get on my knees and worship you. ....That...that sounded dirty and I didn’t mean it like that. Well, I mean, unless you’re into that...I’m going to stop writing now._

_-Beca_

She shakes her head a bit, looking at Lincoln who is watching her. “I’m an idiot,” she chuckles and he just grunts as he gets comfortable. She pokes his side as she gets up, rummaging through her duffle to find the Polaroid camera her best friend had sent her ages ago.

She brushes her fingers through her hair a few times before she moves to pull Lincoln close to her, making sure he’s looking at the camera. “Say cheese, buddy,” she says, smiling at the lens. She clicks it after a moment, trying not to blink when the flash blinds her.

She shakes the picture while she settles down in bed again, smiling to herself. Lincoln’s tongue is lolling out and she’s grinning at the camera, her hair falling in loose waves around her face. She takes a pen and writes along the bottom. Beca and Lincoln smiling just for you.

She tucks everything into an envelope before bed, her thoughts full of the smiling brunette and her bubbly personality. Maybe she would dream a little dream of a girl across the ocean.

* * *

  
The sun is hot and the ground even hotter, they’ve been slowly clearing a path through the sand toward an empty building for hours now. So far they’ve found forty explosives buried in the dirt, ranging from just barely covered to a few feet down. Beca’s tired of sticking up flags but stays ever vigilant. She’s about to call a break, she knows they both need water, but right as she waves her arm up, hell breaks loose.

Shots are fired from the abandoned building and Beca and Lincoln take off through their carefully plotted path as quickly as they can. “Into the truck!” She hears Aubrey shout and she urges Lincoln ahead of her. She could take a bullet better than he could.

“Go, go, start moving!” Beca shouts as soon as Lincoln is in the truck, she’s got a few yards to cover but she wouldn’t be slowing them down. They start moving ahead of her and just when she thinks she’s caught up, a bullet clips her calf. Fire spreads up to her knee and she stumbles hard enough to fall.

“Lincoln, no!” She hears Aubrey yell over the noise and sure enough, his wet nose is pressing against her dirt covered cheek.

“Stupid dog,” she murmurs, but she forces herself up, she wasn’t going to get her partner killed because of a flesh wound.

They’re running again, Beca’s pant leg warm and damp from the blood. Everything seems to happen in slow motion then. The truck swerves a bit to the left and Beca is too focused on getting Lincoln way from the shots to see the thick rope of wire that’s barely peeking out of the sand.

 _Good eye Aubrey_ Beca thinks as she skids to a stop, not quite making it before her weight triggers the bomb. A wave of heat and dirt washes over her as she and Lincoln are thrown a good thirty feet back. The air is knocked from her lungs and she can hear Lincoln’s whine when he hits the ground. If they died, this would be on her.


	3. Another Day in Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be honest, how many of you thought I was killing the dog? Joke's on you, he's immortal. In all seriousness though, I'm glad you all liked the last chapter and I hope you also like this one!

A steady beeping echoes through the room, Beca’s face feels numb and there’s a weight on her legs that seems all too concerning as she opens her eyes. Fluorescent lights beam above her, making her eyes water. “Fuck,” she croaks, trying to sit up.

A soft whine at the end of her bed makes her pause, forcing her eyes open again to see that the weight on her lower half is just Lincoln, staring at her with concern in his deep brown eyes. “Hey boy,” she whispers, holding out a hand to him.

She tries to ignore the tubes and wires protruding from her as Lincoln gently scoots forward to press his muzzle into her palm. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she murmurs, rubbing her thumb along his jaw. “My brave boy, you came after me.”

Lincoln lets out another soft sound, moving to rest his head by her hip. She cards her fingers through his fur while she looks around the room. It’s a standard military hospital, a little too bright and little too white, generic green curtains hang next to her bed and for a moment she wonders if she’s alone in this room or if one of her squad members was next to her. Guilt pulses through her like ice water and panic sets in.

“I should have noticed it sooner,” Beca wheezes out, the heart monitor blaring next to her only made the anxiety settle deeper into her bones. “How many of them got hurt...or worse, because of me.”

She jumps when the door to the room opens, bolting into a sitting position out of instinct. A pained gasp slips from her lips, her whole upper body screaming for her to relax but her mind is keeping her on the defense. "Mitchell, I need you to calm down,” the nurse says as she pushes the curtain back, a frown on her face when she sees the state Beca is in.

“Lay down and take some slow breaths,” she says, but all Beca can do is shake her head. Lincoln growls when the nurse steps closer and it soothes Beca just a bit. “Fine,” the woman says before leaving the room.

A few moments pass where Lincoln is curled around her protectively before someone enters the room, this time it’s a familiar face. Aubrey’s blonde hair is loose and messy around her face, her green eyes full of concern. “Beca, I need you to breathe, can you do that for me?”

Beca just continues to shake, her fingers buried in Lincoln’s fur. Aubrey sighs softly and approaches the bed slowly, her hands up where the dog can see them. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Beca takes in a deep shuddering breath when Aubrey’s hands finally touch her shoulders and tears stream down her face as pain pulses through her ribs. “That’s it, just breathe. I know it hurts, but you just need to.”

Beca’s breathing starts to steady again and her heart rate slows enough that the monitor stops screaming and once she’s calmed down enough, Lincoln moves back to the end of the bed, giving Aubrey room to work.

“Let’s get you settled back down,” Aubrey says softly, helping Beca lay back down. “Now, can I get you anything?”

“I just want to know what all is wrong with me,” Beca replies, her voice hoarse. “I want to know how long it’ll be til they let me back in the field.”

Aubrey sucks in a breath, but settles on the edge of the bed. “Well, you took the brunt of that blast, it was buried pretty deep but you and Lincoln were thrown pretty far. He’s just got some bruising and a sprained ankle, so don’t worry too much,” she starts and Beca appreciates the update on her dog.

“You on the other hand,” Aubrey shakes her head, running a hand through her hair. “Cracked ribs, concussion, you’ve got a dozen stitches in your face, but you probably can’t feel that right now, and you’re bruised up pretty bad, oh, and that bullet wound on your calf, it just barely missed an artery. I think the longest road you’re on is those ribs.”

“They take weeks to heal but I’ll be fine, I can handle a little pain,” Beca snorts, balling her hands up into tight fists. “I should have seen it far before I did...I could have gotten us all killed...”

“Beca, stop,” Aubrey says softly, her tone stern. “You and Lincoln were the only ones who got hurt, we were all safe. I dodged a literal bullet getting you out of there though, I was sure Lincoln was going to drag you to the truck himself if I had let him.”

Beca sighs softly, glaring at the ceiling. “You could have all been killed because of my mistake.”

Aubrey huffs softly, but instead of arguing, she gets up to grab a box that had been sitting on the chair across the room. “Instead of moping, why don’t you open this. It’s from Emily.”

Aubrey helps Beca sit up, easily moving the head of the bed up so that she has some support as she starts to pick at the tape on the corners. “Here, you doof,” Aubrey sighs, handing over her pocket knife.

Beca takes it and carefully cuts through the tape, rolling her eyes at how big the blade is. “Compensating for something, Bree?” She teases, handing over the knife when she’s finished. She takes a moment to just run her fingers over Emily’s handwriting before she opens the lid.

The first thing she’s greeted with is one large bag of jalapeno Cheetos and the noise she makes is enough to make Aubrey jump. “She actually fucking did it,” she chuckles pulling the bag out.  
  
There’s a smiley face drawn in sharpie on the bag and it makes Beca smile even wider. “Gonna eat these later,” she hums setting them aside to dig into the box.

Everything is packed neatly in zipper bags and Beca is sure Emily read one of those pamphlets that tell you things you should send. There are some toiletries, for which she is grateful for (strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner, hell yeah) tissues, lotion, lip balm and a little bottle of sunscreen, all packed into a large zipper bag.

Then there’s just a small box of sandwich baggies with _For your Cheetos_ written across the top. Beca snorts at that and sets it aside, pulling out another bag. This one has; socks, a pair of goggle sunglasses, wet wipes, pain relief cream, foot powder and boot wash in it. “Wow, is it Christmas already?” She chuckles, making Aubrey roll her eyes.

The next bag surprises her, it’s got a note inside that she takes out to read.

_I completely understand if this is like me crossing a line or whatever, but I didn’t know if you had a phone and I was due for an upgrade anyway, so I figured you could have this and I got a phone card that works internationally...and my number is programmed into it if you want to chat sometime. There’s also a bunch of music loaded onto it. But I get it if this is weird, I will 100% not be offended if you decide to send it back_

_-Em_

Sure enough, there’s a silver iPhone wrapped in newspaper inside. The phone card is also inside with easy instructions. In the same bag is a deck of cards, a small novel called Keeping You a Secret, the phone charger and a pair of headphones.

“Is that a phone?” Aubrey asks, brows raised at Beca’s shocked face. “You can’t even get your father to send you a replacement phone, but this girl who barely knows you sent you a phone?”

“So it seems,” Beca murmurs, setting that bag aside. There’s one more bag full of snacks and candy and then finally Beca reaches the letter.

_Beca,_

_I’m wishing you luck on your mission, I hope you stay safe. I’ll try not to worry too much. I know we’ve barely been talking but I feel like I’ve known you for a long time. That’s probably weird to say, but then again you basically offered me oral sex in your letter so, I’m not too worried about admitting this._

_You have a good eye, that is Barden’s lake, I’m in an acapella group and our house sits next to it, though that’s not the lake we went to a few weekends ago, I did include pictures of that too, they’ll be in the yellow envelope. I actually have your dad this semester, but he seems pretty quiet if I get the chance I’ll poke at him for you. Though I must warn you, I am shit with confrontation, so I might just puke on his shoes instead._

_It’s really good that you worry about your dog but you really need to worry about you too. Not that I don’t think you can take care of yourself or whatever, I just want you to be mindful. As a side note, I don’t think you have a skewed perspective of the world. I think everyone experiences their own version of normal and there’s no right or wrong (within reason I suppose). So, just remember that normal to me could be completely different than normal to you._

_My normal is getting up early for classes and rehearsals for competitions and going to work and having my best friend, Chloe, tease the shit out of me for how smiley I get when I talk about you. It’s my mom calling me every week to check on me and my dad coming to see me a few times a month to have lunch with me on his occasional day off. It’s also long nights with my cat curled up as my only audience while I work on songs._

_That was a little rambly, but I guess I just wanted to give you a peek into my life. I just hope that one day, you get whatever kind of normal you want/need for yourself._

_As promised I have included a bag of your favorite_ _C_ _heetos (does that mean you have to worship me now?). I also packed a lot of stuff the pamphlets said were good ideas. And if you read this before the note in the bag, I sent my old phone to you. I know you said you love music, so I loaded a bunch of my favorite stuff on there and_ there are _some pictures on there from around the university and my hometown. I’ll totally get it if it’s a weird thing to send though, so don’t feel obligated to keep it._

_As always, give Lincoln my love (even if it spoils him). He deserves the world, which I think he already has in you, but that’s just my opinion. Speaking of, there’s a little bag of dog treats in the bottom of this thing, I hope they survive. And if I don’t get a letter back for a while, I just want you to know that I feel really lucky to know someone like you._

_-Emily_

_P.S Please come back in one piece._

Beca is grinning by the time she finishes reading the letter, shaking her head as she folds it up gently. “Shut up,” she says, not needing to look at Aubrey to know she’s receiving a look.

“Someone’s got a crush,” Aubrey teases as Beca lifts the yellow envelope out of the box, pulling a small stack of photos out of it.

“Aren’t you breaking dress code right now?” Beca hums, gesturing at Aubrey’s loose hair and untucked shirt. “Not good for a commanding officer to look this sloppy.”

“Fuck off, Mitchell,” Aubrey huffs, flipping off the younger girl.

Beca gasps softly, pressing a hand to her chest. “Did the great Aubrey Posen just use the F-word?”

“You’re a douche,” Aubrey sighs as she pulls her hair back into a loose ponytail. “I’m off duty, I have been for a few days now. You’ve been out for nearly two weeks, Bec.”

Beca pauses her shuffling of the pictures to look at Aubrey, brows raised. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, you’ve been here for two weeks, we weren’t sure you would wake up,” Aubrey replies, leaning back in her chair. "I had to get special permission to allow Lincoln in here cause he was losing his shit.”

“Wow,” Beca breathes out, shaking her head. “Well, I can still give you shit,” she shrugs, continuing to look at the photos in her hands.

She stops on one with Emily and a grinning redhead. “She even has hot friends,” Beca snorts, flipping the picture over to read what’s written on the back. Em and Chloe smiling just for you. She smiles a bit, thinking back to Polaroid she had sent. It seemed like so long ago.

“You’re cute,” Bree chuckles, lifting her feet onto Beca’s bed. “Gonna write back soon?”

“Maybe.”


	4. When Opportunity Rings

Emily is delighted to see an envelope waiting for her on her pillow when she gets home and she briefly wonders if Chloe had brought it up or if it had been one of the other girls. She greets Bun with some ear scratches before she settles down on her bed.

“It’s been a few weeks but look, she wrote back,” Emily hums, leaning back against the wall as she opens the letter carefully.

_Emily,_

_Sorry, it’s taken me a little longer to reply than I would have liked. Lincoln and I got a little banged up on our mission. I’m happy to say he’s perfectly fine, if not a little more protective of me right now. I’m a little worse for wear, but I promise I’m in one piece. I’ve even included pictures as proof._

_I want to thank you profusely for the phone, I’ve been needing a replacement and you just have really good timing. Your taste in music is fantastic. It’s so rare to hear music here that isn’t classic rock or country (fuckin white men, I swear.) David Guetta kills me man, his stuff is so good! And you included a lot of mixes which just makes my heart sing since I used to play with mixing stuff all the time._

_So, I am an awkward fucker, if you couldn’t tell already, but the idea of calling you out of the blue is terrifying as shit so I wrote my number on the back of one of my pictures. If you want to text or actually call, feel free. I’m in the hospital for a few more weeks while I do physical therapy and get cleared for field work again. Lincoln also has to do some therapy but it’s to try and help chill him out. I love him a lot but he needs to understand the difference between a hostile stranger and someone trying to help._

_The Cheetos are fucking amazing, I had almost forgotten what they taste like. I had to stop myself from demolishing the entire bag the first night. Pretty sure they would have rotted my insides if I had. Everything else was so thoughtful and just so nice. How did you know strawberry was my favorite scent? I’m beginning to think you’re psychic, Miss. Junk. And I suppose since you did come through, I’m just going to have to come and see you to hold up my end of the bargain. I should get some knee pads, I can’t say I’m on my knees very often these days._

_Lincoln loves the dog treats, they usually don’t get treats around here, we focus on positive verbal ‘rewards’ with the dogs, keeps them focused on the job and not just the treat_ they _could get for doing it. But I won’t tell if you don’t. Beside’s he needs a little pampering after getting launched in the air, right?_

_And now that you’ve read that, you’ll want to know what happened and I can tell you that mistakes were made and an accident happened, but we’re safe. Don’t let my ugly ass in the photo’s worry you, I promise I’ve had worse._

_We don’t have much here in the way of shops but I could get you an official army t-shirt if you wanted one, I just need your size. I think they’re good sleep shirts, super soft cotton. Aubrey says it’s against the rules to send actual army issue shirts, but I’ll just buy one, wear it a few times to throw her off and send it your way. (I hope you like the smell of strawberries too, cause the shirt will end up smelling like them)_

_Also, I just really want to thank you for how you wrote about what normal is to you. It really made me smile. My normal used to be something like that but some shit happened and now sand and bullets and a unit full of sarcastic assholes._ Oh _, and ya know, Lincoln’s furry ass in my face._

_I’m being yelled at that I need to get to therapy, I hope you haven’t worried too much and I really do hope you call...or at least text. Uh, anyway, have a good day._

_-Beca_

Emily isn’t sure how to feel by the time she finishes reading the letter. Beca was hurt so badly she was in the hospital, but could it be so bad if she was making jokes about it? She shakes her head a bit, pulling the pictures out of the envelope.

The first one is of Lincoln curled up at the end of a hospital bed, his head resting on Beca’s feet. He seems peaceful, a tight (not so) little ball of fluff, content to be by his master’s side while she heals. She flips it over and finds there’s no number so she lays it down on her bedding.

The second one is clearing a picture taken by someone else and Emily briefly wonder’s if it had been this Aubrey girl Beca talks about before she’s focusing on Beca’s face. She’s frowning in it, her middle finger raised to the photographer. She’s got a black eye, the bruise blooming out around the edges and past the stitches that show clear as day against Beca’s fair skin. 

“Ouch,” Emily whispers, brushing her fingers against the picture. The wound curves from Beca’s brow bone to her cheekbone. “That will leave an interesting scar.”

She seems rather in one piece in the photo, even though she’s banged up and bruised, she’s still beautiful. Those blue eyes and those damned freckles Emily had fallen in love with the moment she had gotten Beca's first Polaroid. All Emily wants to do is talk to her. So, without looking at the other two photos, she just flips them all over until she’s reading off the number on the back of one.

After a moment’s hesitation, she types the number in and hits the video option, biting her lip as FaceTime’s familiar ring plays. She’s ready to hang up when Beca finally answers the phone, her face a little less bruised than in the photos. “Hi,” Emily says softly.

“Hey,” Beca breathes out, noticeably fidgeting in her bed. “I didn’t actually expect you to call. Not that I mind, I just always assume the worst, ya know?” The soldier says a little too fast and it makes Emily smile.

“I get it,” Emily hums, shaking her head a bit. “I just finished reading your letter and looking at your pictures and I just...I don’t know I wanted to make sure you were okay,” she shrugs, letting out a nervous chuckle.

“I’m fine, we’ve had worse,” Beca smiles, patting the bed next to her for a moment before Lincoln is shoving his face into frame. “Huh, buddy?”

Emily grins at them both, leaning back against her pillows. “Just because you’ve had worse doesn’t mean this is okay,” she says softly, scratching Bun’s ears while she speaks. “Hey, Lincoln, how’s my favorite pooch?”

Beca giggles softly and Emily thinks it’s the most beautiful sound in the world, next to Beca’s speaking voice of course. “He’s good, been harassing the nursing staff, but we’re working on it.”

“Aww, he’s just trying to keep you safe,” Emily teases, tucking her phone between her knees before hauling Bun into her lap. “Say hi, you fat thing.”

“I am not fat,” Beca whines, a smile on her face. “Hey Bunbun,” she coos, snorting when Lincoln snuggles closer. “He’s not even here to take attention away from you, stop it.”

It’s Emily’s turn to giggle now, grunting when Bun decides he’s had enough of being held. “Look, Lincoln, he’s gone.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Beca chuckles, shoving the dog’s muzzle away from her face. “I don’t want kisses right now, bud.”

“He’s just trying to make you feel better,” Emily says, running a hand through her hair. “Speaking of, how are you feeling, really?”

Beca shrugs her shoulder, wincing a bit when Lincoln moves off of her completely. “I’m sore, that’s for sure, but my MRI has come back clean so I don’t have any brain damage from the blast. I’m getting these stitches out tomorrow and my cracked ribs are just gonna have to hurt for a while.”

Emily frowns a bit, wishing she could take the other girl’s pain away. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Just keep being you,” Beca says softly, a slight smile on her lips.

“I think I can do that,” Em replies, trying to ignore the way her cheeks burn. “I have a random question.”

“I have a random answer,” Beca teases, leaning back against her pillows. Emily can tell it hurts but keeps the apology that’s on the tip of her tongue to herself.

“How old are you?” Emily asks, resting her head against the wall. “I’m going to be twenty-one in a few months.”

“Funny enough, I’m going to be twenty-two in a couple months,” Beca chuckles, brushing her fingers through her hair to tie it up in a loose ponytail. “When’s your birthday?”

“December eleventh,” Emily replies with a yawn, trying to resist the urge to pull her own hair back. She always thought she looked better with it down. “What about you?”

“Pft, that’s like half the year away,” Beca snorts, yawning herself. “Mine’s August ninth,” she says, eyes flickering away from the camera for a moment.

“I’ll have to get you some more Cheetos it seems,” Emily smirks, watching the way Beca’s cheeks go pink. “And maybe a set of knee pads.”

“God, you’re an ass,” Beca breathes out, shaking her head while she avoids looking at Emily. “I can’t believe I actually sent that to you. I should have just rewritten the whole thing.”

“Nah, I liked it,” Emily admits, biting her lip as Beca’s eyes snap back to her. They’re so blue, Emily feels like she’s drowning in them. “Gotta get you used to being on your knees somehow.”

Beca does a fairly good impression of a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she lets out a frustrated little sound. “You’re cockier than I thought you’d be.”

“I could make so many jokes right now...” Emily chuckles, brows raised at the blushing soldier.

“That’s gay, Em,” Beca snorts, trying to save face and it just makes Emily chuckle.

“Pretty sure that’s the point, Bec,” Emily replies, butterflies erupting in her chest when Beca uses her nickname. “It’d be pretty sad if we weren’t a little gay, huh?”

Beca does her fish impression again before she’s huffing softly, her lower lip poking out a little. “I mean...I guess!”

Emily laughs hard at her reaction, blushing when she snorts in the middle of it. Beca seems to find it amusing though, laughing right along with her. “Fuck.”

“You can say that again,” Beca wheezes, an arm around her middle. “I haven’t laughed in a long time and I’m not sure right now is the right time...but I liked it.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Emily says quickly, biting her lip as she watches Beca breathe deeply through her nose.

“Not your fault that I fucked up, Em,” Beca replies, thumping her head back against the mattress.

They’re quiet for a moment before there’s a soft bang in Beca’s room. “Hey, Bree,” Beca says, lifting a hand in a half-hearted wave.

“What are you doing in here?” Bree asks and Emily cocks her head to the side as a blonde woman comes into frame. “Oh, hi! You must be Emily.”

“Yeah,” Emily replies with a nervous chuckle. “And you’re Aubrey, right?”

“I am indeed,” She grins, her smile a little too big, a little too bright. “And I’m sorry to break up this chat, but it’s getting late and Beca has to be up early tomorrow.”

“Fuck’s sake, Bree, you’re not my mom,” Beca whines, flicking the other woman’s arm.

“I am not, but I am your commanding officer,” Aubrey says sternly and Emily smiles at the way Beca pouts.

“It’s okay, Beca, I have a shift to get ready for soon anyway, you should try and get some sleep,” Emily says softly, smiling when Beca caves.

“Fine, fine,” Beca huffs, throwing her hands up. “I’ll go to bed then.”

Emily chuckles softly, trying to hide the fact that she wishes their conversation had been a bit longer. “Goodnight guys.”

“Goodnight.”

* * *

  
Emily is a few hours into her shift when her phone buzzes, a text from Beca showing up on the screen. She glances around to make sure no one is paying attention before she unlocks the screen.

_Since I couldn’t say it properly earlier (and I couldn’t text til Aubrey left my damn room) I wanted to actually say goodnight. And I also wanted to thank you for calling, it really made my day. It’s been a rough time and you made it a lot better._

Emily smiles softly, shaking her head a bit as she starts typing back. _You don’t have to thank me, I’m glad I could help even a little bit. Call me when you can tomorrow, I have the day off. I hope you manage to get some decent sleep tonight._

She tucks her phone away to help out a customer, forcing her smile and polite tone. As soon as she’s free she checks her messages.

_I’ll say thank you as much as I want. But in all seriousness, you’re one of a kind, Em. I hope you have a good shift, I’ll text you in the morning. Goodnight, beautiful._

Emily blushes slightly, biting her lip as she sends back a simple. _Goodnight, Beca, sweet dreams._

The rest of her shift is spent thinking of her blue eyes soldier and what might await her the next time they spoke. Perhaps Stacie had been right that day she picked up that pamphlet.


	5. Bleeding Hearts, Bleeding Sky

Emily had been happily texting with Beca as often as possible in the last few weeks, which would turn out to be more difficult soon. Beca was due to be tested to go back into the field soon, and while Emily was happy Beca would be back doing what she loves, she just wishes she could keep her safe.

Emily shakes her head, pulling her phone out to check the time, finding a notification from the woman who had been occupying her thoughts constantly. _Hey, I have a favor to ask._

Emily’s brow furrows as she stops mid step to reply. _Yeah, what is it? Is everything okay?_

She watches the chat bubble pop up with those three annoying dots. Fuck apple for adding an anxiety trigger into their texting system. She’s about to start typing again when Beca’s reply shows up.

 _Everything is fine here, promise. This is more of a personal matter._ The typing bubble shows again and Emily has to restrain herself until Beca hits send. _Today is my mom’s birthday and I was wondering if I could wire you some cash to take some flowers to her grave..._

Emily bites her lip, her thumbs shaking a bit as she tries to figure out how to respond without sounding like a jackass. Before she can, Beca sends another reply. _You can absolutely say no, I just can’t ask my dad and I don’t know who else to ask._

Em smiles ever so slightly as she starts typing finally. _I can do that, Beca. My first instinct is to start apologizing because I know today must be hard for you, but I also know you hate when I say sorry too much. You don’t have to send me any money, I’ll gladly buy your mom flowers, Bec._

Before Emily realizes it, she’s started walking again, but away from her building and instead toward the bus stop down the way. It wouldn’t kill her to miss Professor Mitchell’s class and really she hated looking at him knowing what she knew.

 _Oh, Em, you don’t have to do that, I really don’t mind paypaling you some money..._ Beca had replied before she decided to call.

Emily answers without a thought, a slight smile on her lips despite the situation. “Hey,” she says softly, glancing up at the bus schedule before plopping onto the bench. “I’ve got about twenty minutes before the next bus shows up.”

“ _Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in a lecture right now?”_ Beca asks and Emily can hear footsteps echoing in the background.

“Aren’t you supposed to be resting before your testing this week?” She counters, leaning back on the bench, watching the clouds.

“ _Touche, cutie,”_ Beca chuckles and the footsteps stop. “ _I’m taking Lincoln for a walk, I can’t be inside anymore, it’s fucking killing me.”_

Emily smiles softly, shaking her head at Beca’s casual cursing. “Give him my love,” she hums, tracing a rabbit shaped cloud hanging close to the sun. “Also, there’s no way you’ll be convincing me to hand over my paypal info, you’re just gonna have to deal with me buying flowers for you.”

Beca is quiet for a moment and Emily can hear the familiar jingling of Lincoln’s tags. Petting Lincoln was Beca’s tell that she was anxious. “ _I just feel bad asking you to do this, you didn’t even know her.”_

“Perhaps not, but I know you and I know the stories you tell about her and I know how much she loved you and how much you loved her,” Emily starts, leaning forward, elbows on her knees. “You can always ask me for help, Bec.”

Beca’s breath hitches slightly and it makes Emily’s heart throb. “ _I just miss her so much, Em,”_ Beca says softly and Emily can hear the tears in her voice.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Emily murmurs, holding the phone a little tighter. “It’s okay to miss her and it’s okay to feel this way. You’re not alone, no matter what you may think. You’ve got Aubrey and Lincoln and all of your friends there.”

 _“And you,”_ Beca whispers, the sound making Emily’s heart squeeze painfully. If she wasn’t a goner for this girl already, she certainly was now.

“And me,” Emily echoes in her softest voice and when Beca sniffles she can’t help but start singing a song that always calmed her down. “Get on your knees and I thought you can leave it all in your mind, all in your mind. Crawl in the backseat, old friend it is really all in your mind, all in your mind.”

Beca takes a slow breath before she’s singing along too, making Emily smile softly. “ _So tired of living like a kite, kite, kite, kite...”_

Emily jumps when the bus pulls up, her heart stuttering into her throat. “Shit, I’m sorry the bus is here, I’ll text you the whole way to the market though,” she says softly, readjusting her bag as she stands up.

“ _Okay, Em, be safe,”_ Beca says equally as soft and it makes Emily melt all over again.

“Says the soldier in a war zone,” Emily chuckles as she steps onto the bus. “Bye, Bec.”

* * *

 

Emily spends the bus ride sending Beca cute gifs and smiling when Beca seems awkward about some of them. She’s sure Beca is hurting far more than she lets on and she really just wants to make sure the soldier is okay.

When her stop comes up, she thanks the driver on the way out, clicking the call button as soon as her feet hit the cement. “Rode the bus and didn’t die, as promised.”

“ _You’re such a smart ass,”_ Beca snorts and it makes Emily grin. “ _But I like it, so what does that say about me?”_

“That you have good taste,” Em giggles as she walks through the open market. She knows there’s a nice flower shop around somewhere.

“ _Can’t deny that,”_ The soldier replies and Emily can hear her shaking her head. _“I mean, you’re sweet and kind and like...super hot.”_

Emily can feel her cheeks warm at the words, but does her best to keep her voice even. “I could say the same about you.”

“ _Yeah, but then you would be lying,”_ Beca chuckles softly. There’s a sharp bang in the background and then Beca is cussing up a storm. _“Damn it, Lincoln, why are you like this?”_

“What did he do?” Emily ask, a smile on her lips. “Is he loving you too much again?”

“ _Yeah, he knocked a book off my table trying to climb into bed with me,”_ Beca huffs and Emily can hear Lincoln’s tail thumping. “ _You big asshole.”_

“Aw, don’t be mean to my furry lug,” Emily says between giggles, pausing at a small vendor with their jewelry laid out on a nice rug. She brushes her fingers across some silver pieces, her eyes settling on a bracelet with sapphires inlaid around the band.

“ _He can take it!”_ Beca defends and Emily can hear the distinct sound of Beca ruffling Lincoln’s fur. “ _Huh, buddy? You can take, mama’s sass, can’t you?”_

Emily is giggling again by the time Beca is finished with her cooing and it gets Beca to laugh along with her. “You’re a big dork, you know that?”

“ _I am indeed, now you know where Lincoln gets it,”_ Beca says between chortles.

Emily grins, handing over the money for the bracelet without a second thought, those stones reminding her of Beca’s eyes. “You’re cute,” she hums, slipping the band onto her wrist. She can almost picture the way Beca’s eyes light up when she smiles when she sees the sapphires shining in the sun.

“ _Excuse me, cute is your area of expertise,”_ The older girl says, Lincoln grumbling in the background. “ _Yeah, yeah, I know it’s time for dinner. I gotta go feed this mutt, I’ll text you in a bit.”_

“Okay, cutie,” Emily chuckles, hanging up the phone when she hears Lincoln knock something else over.

Em tucks her phone away as she walks down the strip, finally finding the flower shop toward the end of the block. “Over the Rainbow,” she hums out the name on the sign and smiles as she walks in.

 _What’s your mom’s favorite flower?_ She types out, hitting send as she walks through the displays of fresh and cut flowers.

She’s got her nose buried in a rose when Beca replies _Anything yellow, she liked to have bright colors around her. Used to say “even when the sun is low, these will always bring the light in” kind of inspiring, yeah?_

Emily smiles softly finding herself touched by the woman’s wise words. _It is indeed, I’ll see what I can find._

She ends up going a little overboard, getting a bouquet with pretty much every yellow flower they had in stock and then adds a miniature yellow rose bush onto the tab too. The clerk manning the register just gives her this look and it makes her blush despite herself.

She almost says something, but doesn’t, instead taking her purchases out the door with a polite smile. She’s about halfway up the block before her phone starts vibrating. “Fuck,” she murmurs, tucking the pot under her arm so she can grab it out of her pocket. “Hello.”

 _“Hiya, hot stuff,”_ Beca hums through the line, making Emily’s cheeks burn. _“Did you manage to find something good?”_

Emily chuckles at that, adjusting the flowers as she walks. “I did, though I feel like I might have gone overboard.”

 _“What’s that even mean?”_ Beca asks, though Emily is sure she’s afraid to hear the answer. _“Wait, how much did you spend?_ ”

The younger girl lets out an awkward chuckle, shrugging to herself. “I got a big bouquet but I also got a live plant, I’m not telling you the total though.”

“ _You’re a butt,”_ Beca huffs and the sound makes Emily grin. _“Thank you, you didn’t have to do this.”_

“I know, but this is important,” Emily replies softly, settling down on the bus bench, glad to put things down for a moment. “However, I need to know where I’m going.”

 _“Shit, yeah,”_ The soldier chuckles and then there’s the faint sound of Beca’s fingers tapping against the screen followed by Emily’s phone buzzing loudly against her ear. " _There, I sent you the address and stuff.”_

“Thank you muchly,” Em hums, pulling her phone away to glance at the message. “I think there’s a bus station a few blocks from there, I can probably be there in like an hour or so.”

“ _There’s no rush,”_ Beca states, her tone gentle. “ _I really don’t know how to thank you for doing this.”_

 _"_ I do believe knee pads were promised at one point, we could just extend that,” Emily giggles, her heart clenching when Beca laughs. She could listen to that sound for hours.

“ _Deal,”_

* * *

Emily feels a little odd standing in the quiet cemetery at eleven in the morning. She had stopped and grabbed some snacks at the corner store down the way, packing them in her bag easily. She wanted to stay as long as possible. For Beca.

It takes her some time to find the headstone tucked away under a large oak tree. She stands in front of the smooth black granite, biting her lip. _Melinda Pilgrim. Loving mother and friend. April 27, 1975 - August 16, 2013._

She settles down in front of it, setting the cut flowers down on top of the stone before she’s making a spot for the small rose bush. Once everything looks nice and she’s semi-comfortable, she plugs her phone into her external battery and calls Beca, holding the camera away so her face is in frame.

“ _Hey,”_ Beca smiles, leaning against the raised head of her bed. Her eyes are red-rimmed and she’s got dark circles under them. It makes Emily’s chest hurt to see how much the soldier is hurting.

“Hey,” Em hums, offering her own smile. “Are you ready?” She asks softly, chewing the inside of her cheek.

“ _As I’ll ever be,”_ Beca replies and Emily can hear the slight tremble in her voice. Emily nods and flips the camera, her heart clenching at the face Beca makes. “ _Hey, mama,”_ she breathes out and Emily wishes she could hold her hand.

“ _This is Emily, she’s taken really good care of me the last few weeks,”_ Beca says, choking on her words a bit. “ _She even got these flower for you, how nice is that? She’s so sweet.”_

Emily blushes slightly and Beca glances up, making it seem like she's looking at Emily. She’s not but it still makes Emily’s heart stutter a bit. There’s just something about those eyes and those fucking freckles that sent the younger girl into a gay spiral.

“ _I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit you yet, but I’ve got a lot of leave saved up and I’m finally cashing in. I’m going to be home for a month and I’ll be sure to come and see you,”_ Beca’s smiling sadly, her lip between her teeth.

They’re quiet for a moment, Emily’s eyes glue to Beca’s face. Her features keep changing, her brows furrow, her lips purse and then finally tears start to slip down her cheeks and Emily wishes she could reach through the screen and wipe them away. “ _I miss you...”_

She’s not really sure what possesses her to do it, but she scoots forward until she can press her hand to the word mother and words just start coming out. “Melinda, I know I didn’t get the chance to know you, but I have to thank you. Thank you for bringing this wonderful woman into the world so that we could meet.”

“She says I’ve been taking her for the last few weeks, but I think she’s been taking care of me. I can’t really remember a time I was this happy to talk to someone. She’s really brought a new kind of light into my life.” Emily says, her voice trembling as her own tears slide down her face.

“You raised a great kid and a fierce soldier and I promise that I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe,” Em swallow hard, biting her lip. “I really think you’d be proud of the person she is.”

“ _Em...”_ Beca murmurs, sniffling softly. _“You’re such a cheeseball.”_

“Shush, I’m just honest,” Emily half chuckles, wiping her cheeks. “I just felt like I had to say something.”

 _“Can you turn the camera back again?”_ Beca asks and Emily takes a moment to try and wipe away any eyeliner that may have smeared before she turned the camera back to her, offering a watery smile. _“How are you so beautiful? Like you’ve been crying and you’re still gorgeous.”_

Emily shakes her head a bit, rolling her eyes. “You’re the beautiful one. I mean, look at those eyes and those freckles...have I ever told you that I’m a sucker for freckles?”

 _“You have not, but that’s good to hear,”_ Beca chuckles softly, her fingers coming up to brush along her cheekbones. “I never had them as a kid, but then one summer they just kind of showed up and I’ve been stuck with them since.”

“I’m grateful for that summer then,” Emily smiles, sniffing softly. “Cause like, listen, they’re great.”

“ _Shush,"_ Beca huffs, but she’s grinning and it makes Emily happy to see light back in those eyes. “ _They’re just freckles.”_

“Nah man, they’re yourfreckles,” Emily grins, leaning back against the tree. “But anyway, how are you feeling?”

“ _Honestly? Better than I thought I would,”_ Beca sighs softly, running a hand through her hair. _“I just wish I could have saved her, you know?”_

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking,” Emily hums, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “You don’t have to tell me though.”

Beca takes a slow breath, fiddling with her dog tags. _“She had a lot of trouble with her ptsd and depression and since I was overseas, I couldn’t do much but make sure she was going to the doctors.”_

 _“I’m not actually sure what happened, Sheila just said that a neighbor found her. I got emergency leave to deal with lawyers but my father didn’t even have the decency to tell me before the funeral.”_ Beca chuckles darkly, her lips curling into a grimace. _“I’m pretty sure the reason he doesn’t talk to me now is that my mom left me everything, even her house.”_

“Wow, I’m so sorry,” Emily frowns, shaking her head a bit. “That’s so fucked up.”

“ _Holy shit, did you just curse?”_ Beca snorts, the sound seeming to snap her out of the spiral of thoughts she had been going down. “ _It’s like hearing a toddler cuss.”_

"Shut the fuck up!” Emily whines, slapping her hand against her thigh. “I curse all the time!”

_“Sure, kid.”_

* * *

 

Emily’s been sitting under the tree for hours, enjoying Beca’s company when she realizes her external battery is dead and her phone is at thirty percent. “Shit, my phone is gonna die,” she huffs, shaking her head a bit.

 _“Hang up so you can have your phone on the way home,”_ Beca replies, frowning a bit. Her fingers are carding through Lincoln’s fur, who had wedged his way into frame an hour before.

Emily opens her mouth to agree when she realizes the sun in setting and she just smiles. “Hang on, we should watch the sunset,” she hums, switching to the back camera so Beca can see the bleeding sky.

 _“I forgot what Georgia sunsets looked like,”_ Beca breathes out, her eyes wide. “ _They’re like watching a red marker bleed through paper.”_

Emily smiles softly, she knows she should be watching the sky but she can’t keep her eyes off of Beca. The way those eyes light up watching the colors makes Emily’s heart stutter and for a moment she wonders if she’ll ever stop being amazed by this woman.

“ _Beautiful,”_ Beca breathes out and Emily just nods along, a smile on her lips.

“You really are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys! I made some edits because Freckled Beca is something that needs to happen...Here are the links!
> 
> Insta: https://www.instagram.com/spacekatedits/
> 
> Tumblr: http://agoddamnsupernova.tumblr.com/post/174389250942/a-proposal-beca-mitchell-with-freckles
> 
> (This note was brought to you from your friendly neighborhood Riley-Man ;) )


	6. Just The Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the long-awaited chapter six is finally here. Enjoy

“Come on, Lincoln,” Beca hums as they head to Aubrey’s quarters, a slight smile on her face. Today would be the day she tells Emily how she feels...after she gets a pep talk from her favorite officer.

He yips softly, nudging his head against Beca’s thigh excitedly, knowing they were going to see Aubrey. The two of them had formed quite the bond while Beca was in the hospital. “Yeah, I know, we’re going to see your girlfriend.”

Lincoln lets out a little huff before he’s pulling at the leash hard, tugging Beca along a little faster. She knows she shouldn’t let him do this, spoiling him might lead to trouble, but she couldn’t resist how happy he seemed. “You’re an ass,” she murmurs, increasing her pace so she can keep up with Lincoln’s pulling.

“Here we are, happy?” Beca chuckles, watching Lincoln sniff around the door. “Go on, knock.”

The dog looks up at her before he turns back to the door his tail wagging in anticipation. He stands on his hind legs and drops his front paws against the door, bouncing off of it a few times before sitting down, waiting expectantly.

After a moment the door opens, Aubrey smiling softly at them. “Hey guys,” she hums, hands already buried in Lincoln’s fur. “Everything okay?”

Beca smiles sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean it's not, not okay,” she says while looking at the floor. Aubrey raises a brow in apprehension, unsure of where this conversation is going. “It’s just...I-I want to tell Emily how I feel...we’ve been flirting for months now and like...something changed, or maybe it’s the same and I...” She takes a breath trying to gather her thoughts. “I don’t know Bree,”

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Aubrey asks, standing up straight before motioning for them to come inside. She had watched as Beca stayed cool and relaxed in the field, but the second Emily came into the conversation the brunette was a mess. “Why can’t you just tell her that?”

“Cause-I-well...because I’m me,” Beca stammers, hands gesturing vaguely. “I’m not good with this kind of stuff. You know that,”

“Bec, I’ve seen how you two talk, I’m pretty sure she knows, you just have to assure her, okay?” Aubrey hums, pulling out a couple bottles of water. Moving over she sits in a chair and Beca does the same with Lincoln moving to lay at Beca’s feet his tail thumping on the floor.

Beca takes one gratefully, popping the cap to fiddle with it. “But like...Bree, I’m just a fuckin mess, why would she want me?”

“Beca, listen to me,” Aubrey starts, setting her water bottle down with a little force. “If you keep thinking like that, then this will never work out. You will set yourself up to fail and then never look at love the same way. It happened with Amanda and you never wanted to date again. So, stop fucking moping, stop shitting on yourself and just accept the fact that you are an amazing person and Emily can see that.”

“She’s going to say yes, because honestly if she didn’t it would be her loss,” Aubrey hums, reaching to thread her fingers through Lincoln’s fur. “That’s where I messed up, I let you push me away after everything and even though I’m happy with our friendship, there are nights where I wonder how different it might be if I hadn’t.”

Beca smiles softly, her chest filled with warmth for her friend. “You’re a big sap,” she chuckles, shaking her head a bit. “And you and I both know that if we had ended up together, we would be like a natural disaster, beautiful but destructive.”

Aubrey smiles at that, ruffling Lincoln’s ears before she sits up straight. “Who knew you were such a poet,” she teases, watching the way Beca blushes. “But seriously, you’re going to tell her and she’s going to say yes and even though the wait is going to suck, this really is the start of something amazing, Bec.”

Beca nods, biting her lip as she stands up, moving across the small room to sit on Aubrey’s lap, smirking when the blonde squeaks. “Thank you,” she murmurs, wrapping her arms around her friend tightly.

It takes a moment, but Aubrey’s arms slide around her and return the hug full force. They stay like that for a little while, Lincoln moving to rest his muzzle on Aubrey’s leg. “I think your dog is jealous.”

“Eh, fuck him,” Beca chuckles, pulling away to look into those calming green eyes that had kept her sane for the last three and a half years. “Bree,” she murmurs, a gentle smile on her lips.

“Yeah?” Aubrey asks, quirking a brow at the smaller woman. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just love you a lot, you know?” Beca hums, leaning down to press the softest kiss to Aubrey’s lips. “You’re my best friend.”

Aubrey rolls her eyes, bringing her hands up to tickling Beca’s sides. “You’re such a fucking sap,” she chuckles, watching Beca squirm. In the last six weeks, her ribs had healed, leaving Aubrey guilt free as she continued her attack.

“No-stop-fuck!” Beca says through giggles until she’s squirmed her way off of Aubrey’s lap and onto the floor. “Bitch,” she pants, shaking her head at her friend.

“Just remember, you love me,”

* * *

 

Beca paces the room as she debates on calling Emily, she knew she should be in bed, knew she had things to do in the morning, but she needed to do this. “Alright, Mitchell, sack up.”

Lincoln grumbles from his spot on the bed as if to tell her to sit down and shut up. And so she does, pulling her knees up as she takes her phone out. “This is it, bud,” she hums before clicking Emily’s contact name.

The phone rings a few times before Emily’s cheery voice sounds through the line. “ _Hey you,”_ she says and Beca can hear the faint sounds of her roommates in the background.

“Hey yourself,” she replies lamely, thudding her head against the wall. “How are you?”

“ _I’m really good, we just won our last competition of the season,”_ Emily hums and the background noise starts to fade. “ _We’re still at the hotel til tomorrow afternoon, pretty sure the girls are going to party.”_

“Oh, I don’t want to keep you from your celebration,” Beca murmurs, biting her lip as she runs a hand through her hair. “Go be with your friends.”

“ _Nah, I’d rather be with you,_ ” Emily says softly and Beca can almost picture the smile on her face. She wishes she had called using FaceTime. “ _Plus, I had a question for you that I haven’t had the chance to ask.”_

“If you say so,” Beca concedes, shrugging her shoulders a bit. “But, ask away, darlin’.”

“ _Does your dad have another kid?”_ Em asks, making Beca’s chest ache a little. “ _Cause I saw him walking around campus the other day with like a preteen and just wondered.”_

Beca half chuckles, shaking her head a bit. “Uh, yeah, that was probably Jack,” she says, it had been so long since she had seen her little brother. “He’s my half brother and honestly the only reason I keep trying to have any sort of relationship with my father.”

 _“Oh, okay. Well, he’s really cute with his freckles and that curly hair,”_ Emily giggles, the phone shifting against her ear. “ _When was the last time you saw him?”_

“Shortly before I talked to my mom’s lawyers and stuff, he would have been around seven then,” Beca sighs, swallowing hard. “I hate that my dad is such an asshole because Jack and I have always gotten along. I remember when he was born...”

“ _Oh yeah? Tell me about him?”_ Emily says and the softness of her voice makes Beca wish she was there with her.

“He was born premature and the doctors weren’t sure he would make it. He was so _small_ but he’s a fighter. He beat the odds and proved all of them wrong,” Beca chuckles the words out, remembering the first time she got to hold her little brother.

“He’s sweet and kind and smart, like crazy smart,” Beca continues, stretching her legs out. “Before I deployed, I would take him to get ice cream every week and we would just talk about everything. He would tell me about school and his favorite shows and just...I miss him.”

 _“What if while you’re on leave, we set up something so he can come to see you?”_ Emily says softly and Beca swears she can hear a door open and close. “ _How does that sound?”_

“I don’t know, Em, I don’t know if he even wants to talk to me anymore,” Beca sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Who knows what my dad’s been telling him.”

 _“I could find out. Maybe swing by your dad’s office when I get back and see if Jack’s there,”_ Emily offers and Beca wants to take her up on it, but she can’t bring herself to.

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do that,” Beca replies, letting out a puff of air. “I do have a question though.”

“ _And what’s that?”_ Emily asks in that same tone that reminds Beca why she wants this all.

“Can I hang up and call you back on FaceTime? I really just want to see you,” She says softly, her heart hammering away in her chest as the words tumble from her lips.

 _“Oh, sure!”_ Emily chuckles, the sound calming Beca’s nerves a bit. “ _See you soon.”_

“See ya,” she hums, hanging up only to call right back holding the phone out in front of her as it rings. “Hello, beautiful,” Beca grins when Emily’s face appears on the screen.

 _“Hey, cutie,”_ Emily says, that smile Beca loved, lighting up her face. _“I missed that face of yours.”_

“I mean, it’s the same every day,” Beca chuckles, chewing the inside of her lip. “Not missing much.”

 _“Shut up,_ ” Emily hums, rolling her eyes at the soldier. _“Your face has changed drastically from the first time I saw it.”_

“One scar does not drastically change my face, Em,” Beca argues, poking her tongue out at the younger woman.

 _“Maybe not, but that smile does,_ ” Emily says softly, those stupidly beautiful brown eyes making Beca melt a little.

“Fuck off,” Beca says, her cheeks burning while Emily watches her with that smile. “Em, can I tell you something?” Beca asks after a moment, her voice soft.  
  
Emily smiles at her, nodding away as she speaks. “ _Of course you can, Becs.”_  
  
Beca pauses, trying to get her thoughts together before the word vomit starts. “I’m just...I’m not good at this, I’m not good with words and sharing my feelings, so if this comes out sounding odd, I’m sorry.”  
  
“I like you, a lot and honestly with as much shit as Aubrey gives me, she was right about you. I’ve completely fallen for you and it terrifies me,” Beca says, biting her lip as she looks up at the screen.  
  
“I’m scared that you’ll see that I’m not worth the wait or the effort. I’m scared that I’m too much. Too much of a hassle, too much to handle...I don’t know,” she shakes her head, her trembling fingers tangled in Lincoln’s fur.  
  
“But if you’ll have me and if you think this is something you want...that I’m something you want...” she cuts herself off, swallowing hard. “Would you...will you be my girlfriend?”

Emily stares at her with wide, shining eyes and for a moment Beca is sure she’s made a mistake but then Emily gives her a watery grin and her heart explodes. “ _Of course I will,_ ” she says softly, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

“You will?” Beca breathes out, trying not to sound too desperate as she leans closer to the screen. “Like, seriously?”

“ _Duh,”_ Emily giggles, wiping her face with the back of her hand. _“I’ve been head over heels for you for weeks now.”_

Beca shakes her head, a stupid grin on her face. “I mean, coulda fooled me.”

 _“Oh shut up, we were talking about oral after like two letters, how could you think I wouldn’t want you?”_ Emily asks, brows raised at the flabbergasted soldier.

“I-you-we...fuck,” Beca huffs out, raking a hand through her hair. “Whatever...I’m a dense mother fucker, you have to be like upfront with me.”

 _“Alright,”_ Emily smiles, her eyes twinkling mischievously. _“Beca Elizabeth Mitchell, it would be an honor and a privilege to date you.”_

“You’re such a smart ass,” Beca sighs but she’s smiling, her cheeks rosy as she looks at this woman who was thousands of miles away but very much felt like home.

“ _You love it,”_ Emily hums, winking at the camera. “ _Don’t you?”_

“Yeah, yeah, shut up,” Beca teases, biting her lip. She had a girlfriend now, Emily was her girlfriend. It only took a few months of talking to do it, too.

“Make me,” Emily goads, that stupidly sexy smirk curling her lips.

“Get me the knee pads.”


	7. New Faces, New Friends

“I’ve never had someone use my work email to ask me out before,” Stacie smirks, settling down in the booth across from Emily.

“We’ve literally been talking for weeks now, Stacie, I just asked if you wanted to meet up, it’s not my fault you won’t give me your number,” Emily retorts, sticking her tongue out at the older woman.

“I’m cautious, sue me,” Stacie teases, leaning back in the booth as she grins at Emily. “So, not that I’m not flattered, but why did you ask me here again?”

“Well, I mean we’re friends, I don’t see why we can’t hang out,” Emily snorts, smiling when the waitress comes by. They both order before Emily is looking back into Stacie’s expectant gaze. “Fine, I wanted to take you out to thank you.”

“Thank me for what? Setting you up with a grumpy soldier?” The other woman asks, brows raised at the younger girl.

“Well, I mean...she _can_ be grumpy but like...she’s not a grump,” Emily says quietly, shrugging her shoulders a bit. “But I mean, you said that first day that some people find love and...well, you were right.”

“Holy shit, really?” Stacie asks, her hand slapping the table as she smiles. “I fuckin’ knew it. You sappy asshole.”

“Shut up! I’ve told you like everything about Beca and I, how are you like oddly surprised?” Em snorts, resting her elbows against the table, smiling gratefully when her coffee is dropped off at the table.

“I don’t know, I use that line as a tease when people sign up, I’ve never had someone tell me that it actually happened,” Stacie shrugs, sipping her juice. “A lot of people think long distance is too hard.”

“Most things in life don’t come easy, doesn’t mean they’re not worth it,” Emily hums, echoing the words her father has said to her so many times over the years. “I mean, sure it sucks that my girlfriend is thousands of miles away, but I mean, I’d rather have her than not.”

“Wait, wait, you said girlfriend,” Stacie starts, her blue eyes wide as she stares at Em. “Does that mean you asked her out?”

Emily blushes hard, clearing her throat as she traces the rim of her mug. “Actually, she asked me out. We were talking this weekend, after my last competition and she wanted to face time and she did this cute little rambly thing and then asked me out.”

“Look at you go,” Stacie chuckles softly, shaking her head as she settles back against the booth. “Got any good pictures?”

“I have so many,” Emily smiles, pulling her phone out. She pulls up the folder labeled with the soldier’s name, handing over the device. “Just scroll through.”

And so Stacie does as she’s told, flipping through picture after picture of Beca. Some of them had clearly been screenshot from FaceTime calls, others appear to be selfies, a few of them toward the end of the folder showing a few shots with a blonde woman in the frame. “Who is that with Beca?”

Emily takes the phone back, smiling when she catches Aubrey’s face in the frame. “Ah, that’s her friend Aubrey, she’s a Captain,” she hums, shrugging her shoulders. “She’s actually really cool, a big softie really.”

Stacie nods, tapping her fingers against the tabletop. “She’s hot is what she is,” she muses, jumping a bit when their food is settled down between them. “Is she single?”

“As far as I know,” Emily chuckles, pouring more syrup than necessary onto her pancakes.  “Why, does someone have a crush already?” 

“The hunter is just hungry is all,” Stacie says, cutting into her own stack of pancakes.

“I mean, you have foods so,” Emily says with a roll of her eyes before she’s stuffing a huge, overly sweet, bite into her mouth.

“ _I_ am not the hunter,” Stacie smirks, waving a fork full of food at Emily. “He is,” she says, gesturing the same fork toward her lap.

Emily nearly chokes, having to spit her food into a napkin as she coughs. “It’s a he?” She asks, unable to stop herself. “Wait, nevermind, we’re in public, I don’t want to know.”

“You’re so cute.”

* * *

 

“Hey Chloe, I invited a friend to come with us to the carnival later!” Emily shouts as she steps into the house, tossing the mail onto the counter, a little disappointed. Ever since they had started texting, she and Beca had stopped sending letters.

“Oh! Who might that be?” Chloe asks as she comes around the corner, a basket of laundry in her arms.

“Her name is Stacie, she’s the one who signed me up for the pen pal thing,” she hums, settling on the couch to help Chloe fold.

“Ooh, how exciting, we get to meet the girl who basically set you and Beca up,” the redhead grins, tossing a pair of her panties at Emily.

“Dude! You’re such an ass,” Emily grumbles, folding the underwear a little too aggressively before setting them on the stack.

“I have a nice one, so it makes sense,” Chloe teases, shaking out a pair of jeans whose legs had rolled in on themselves.

Emily rolls her eyes, jumping when her phone starts buzzing. She grins when she sees Beca’s name flash across the screen. “Gotta take this,” she all but sings, tossing the shirt she had been folding into Chloe’s face. “Hey, babe,”

“You’re gross!” Chloe shouts, earning herself the finger as Emily jogs up the stairs.

“ _Why are you gross?”_ Beca chuckles, the sound making Emily smile even wider.

“That’s just Chloe being an ass,” Em hums as she flops onto her bed, disrupting a sleeping Bun. “She’s mad that I’m no longer helping her fold her clothes.”

“ _I see, I see, that does make you kinda gross,”_ Beca teases, making Emily roll her eyes. “ _But I would have done the same thing.”_

“See! I’m not gross!” Emily huffs, giggling when Bun starts to rub against her wrist, shaking the phone. “I would rather talk to you without my best friend butting into the conversation or teasing me when you make me smile.”

“ _I understand, I usually make sure to call you when it’s late and no one is really doing anything in the base,”_ Beca admits and Emily can hear her shuffling around, the mic on her headphones rubbing against something.

“Whatcha doing?” She asks, kicking her shoes off, sending them across the room. The sound makes Bun jump, the cat turning to glare at the shoes now laying on the floor.

 _“I may be making you a box,”_ Beca replies before she curses through the line. “ _Fucking cardboard cut...”_

“My poor baby, should I kiss it better?” Emily coos, giggling when Beca tells her to fuck off. “I mean, I’d rather fuck you, but if that’s what you want, I can just hang up.”

 _“No, no, I didn’t say that!”_ Beca pouts, her voice going up an octave. _“I just...I’m a soldier for fuck's sake, a little cut isn’t going to kill me.”_

“But you still want me to kiss it better, don’t you?” Emily teases, grunting when her cat decides to lay on her stomach.

_“Yes....”_

* * *

 

“So, how’s Beca?” Chloe asks as they head toward the quad, heir arms linked together tightly. “Any phone sex?”

Emily nearly chokes on her own spit, pinching Chloe’s bicep hard enough to mark. “You’re an asshole,” she huffs, her cheeks burning. “But she’s good, apparently she’s sending me something.”

“Ooh, sex toys I bet,” Chloe smirks, earning herself a slap to the chest. “Keep it coming, Junk, I like pain.”

“I really hate you sometimes,” Emily sighs, knocking their hips together with a smile. “Also, Stacie said she would meet us by the food stands, which I mean is great cause carnival food...ugh.”

“You’re gonna get sick eating all of it,” Chloe chuckles, leaning her head on Emily’s shoulder. “I’m not saving you from your stomach ache later.”

“I have an iron stomach,” Emily says proudly, puffing her chest out as they walk. “I can eat anything.”

“You threw up after two bites of my five-alarm chili,” The redhead smirks, chuckling when Emily’s chest deflates.

“Who wouldn’t get sick from that! It was death in a bowl!” She huffs, pulling away from Chloe so she can run toward their friends. She all but tackles Stacie when she reaches her, ignoring the murmurs from the Bellas as she clings to the older woman. “Save me.”

“Woah, Em, what are you doing?” Stacie chuckles, wrapping her arms around the girl despite herself. “What am I saving you from?”

“Me probably,” Chloe chuckles, holding a hand out toward the brunette. “I’m Chloe and I was teasing her and since she’s a big baby...”

“I’m not a baby!” Emily huffs, nuzzling Stacie’s chest. “You’re just a big meanie.”

Chloe rolls her eyes, grinning when Stacie takes her hand and shakes it. “Stacie,” the girl says, glancing down at Emily, who has her face all but buried in her cleavage. “Is she always like this?”

“Acting like a brat? Yeah, it’s pretty normal,” Chloe grins, Emily flipping her off without moving from Stacie’s embrace. “But she’s cute so she can get away with it.”

Emily pulls away finally, grinning wide. “See, when Chloe is being nice, I don’t have to hide,” she says, like it was totally normal to bury her face in someone’s cleavage.

Stacie chuckles, rolling her eyes at the two before her eyes flicker around to the small group watching them. There are small introductions before most of the girls disperse to do their own thing, the only one sticking around was Chloe.

“Where’s Amy?” Emily asks as they look around for something good to eat. “I thought she said she would be coming.”

“She’s probably of somewhere with Bumper, she thinks we don’t know about it but it’s pretty obvious,” Chloe hums with a little shrug of her shoulders. “He’s an asshole, but if he makes her happy.”

Emily nods along, glancing at Stacie who seems a little lost. “Amy is one of our friends and Bumper used to lead this acapella group called the Treblemakers. He’s since left and now he works security here, but he’s kind of a prick and Amy’s been in love with him for years now,” she explains, shrugging her shoulders a little bit.

“Well, they say love is blind,” Stacie chuckles awkwardly, offering Emily a small smile. She was trying after all.

“Does that sign say fried swiss cheese?” Chloe asks, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. “That sounds awful...”

“Holy shit...” Emily breathes out, her eyes going wide as she all but runs to the stand, she orders three before the other two catch up to her. “This is amazing, I haven’t had fried swiss cheese since I left home...”

“What the actual fuck?” Stacie says brows raised as Emily hands them each one. “I’m a fan of cheese but I don’t know about this.”

“Just trust me, there was this festival in this town called Sugarcreek, it was a few hours away from Columbus and it had this, right? The best fucking thing I’ve ever eaten, it’s so fucking good,” Emily explains before she’s taking a healthy bite, a soft sound escaping her lips.

Chloe and Stacie share a look, shrugging at eat other before taking a bit, surprised at how good it actually was. “Well, butter my ass and call me a biscuit,” Stacie chuckles around a mouthful.

“It’s good, right?” Emily asks, a grin plastered on her face.

“It’s really good.”

* * *

 

“You should get on the ferris wheel, I’ll take pictures for Beca,” Chloe suggests, pointing at the largest ride in the quad. “I bet she’d love that.”

Emily sticks her tongue out but doesn’t argue, stumbling a bit when Chloe shoves her toward the ride. “Ass,” she mumbles, pulling her phone out to find a text from the soldier in question.

 _I know you said you were going to be out, but I wanted to wish you a good night before I make like Lincoln and pass out. Send me lots of pictures, love._ Under the text is a picture of Beca with her head laying on Lincoln’s side, a sleepy smile on her face.

_Goodnight baby, sleep well. I’ve taken a lot of pictures so far, I’ll send them when it’s morning for you. Call me when you can tomorrow._

She smiles when Beca replies with a string of heart emojis before she tucks her phone away, looking up at the short line in front of her. She tilts her head a little at the boy in front of her, his curly hair sticking out in odd places.

It wasn't until he turned his head toward the small crowd of people waiting that she recognized him as the boy Dr. Mitchell had been walking with the week before. “You can do it, Jack!” a voice calls, Emily’s head whipping around to find his dad waving at him.

She shakes her head a bit, trying to keep herself from saying anything. She swore she loathed Beca’s father more and more every day. She instead focuses on Jack, finding that he and Beca had the same nose. She smiles at that, resisting the urge to text her girlfriend, Beca needed the sleep more than Emily wanted to talk to her.

Jack is the next one up and he seems nervous about taking the ride himself, so she volunteers without thinking, stepping up to the seat with a smile. “Mind if we share?” She asks softly, earning a small smile from the boy.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” he replies, relief spreading across his features. “Thank you,” he murmurs and it makes Emily smile.

“Of course, I didn’t want to ride alone, so really you’re helping me,” she replies, her tone soft and warm. “Besides, I know your sister, Beca.”

Jack’s eyes go wide as the ride jerks into motion, his head turning toward her. “You do? How?” He asks, suspicion in his tone.

“We started off as penpals, but now she’s my girlfriend,” Emily chuckles, pulling her phone out to show him the picture Beca had sent while they were in line. “See. She’s told me a lot about you.”

“Really? She did?” Jack asks excitedly, his wiggling shaking the whole bucket. “Is she okay? Does she miss me?”

“Jack, honey, you have to calm down,” Emily says softly, putting a hand over his. “She’s doing good, of course she misses you, and I’m Emily.”

Jack smiles wide, moving to wrap his arms around her. “I’m Jack, but you knew that,” he chuckles, leaning away to look at her. He has Beca’s dimples and it kills her a little bit.

“I did indeed buddy,” she says, watching him go quiet as he waves to his dad when they pass. “Are you okay?” She asks, noticing the frown on his lips.

“My dad doesn’t really like Beca anymore...he doesn’t talk to or about her like he used to,” he mumbles, staring out at the horizon when the ride pauses, their bucket toward the top. “I miss her a lot.”

Emily furrows her brow and makes a split second decision. “The ride is going to be over soon, otherwise I would just do it now, but if you can, meet me back here in an hour and I’ll give you my number, that way you and I can meet up sometime and you can talk to Beca, okay?”

“Okay,”

* * *

 

Emily stays close to the ferris wheel until she hears rapid footsteps coming toward her, turning to find Jack running at full speed toward her. She braces for impact but is surprised when he comes to a grinding halt right in front of her.

“Hey,” she says through a chuckle, watching his dramatic breathing as he holds his phone out. “You okay?”

“My dad thinks I’m at the bathroom, so we have to be quick,” he says, waving his hand a little at her. “

Emily smiles softly, punching her number in, putting it under Em, before handing it back. “Call or text me for anything, okay? I’ll always be here.”

Jack looks at the contact before shoving his phone in his pocket, looking up at her with a watery smile. “I can see why Beca likes you,” he says before he hugs her hard. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, you and Beca deserve to be able to talk to each other,” Emily hums, hugging him back tightly. “You need each other.”

“But this might not be possible without you, Emily, so for that, I have to thank you,” Jack says through a sniffle, pulling away to smile at her. “I’ve gotta get back, but I will text you, I promise!”

And with that, he’s running away and Emily has to stop herself from comparing him to his older sister, but he had sounded so mature just then that she can’t help the thought fluttering around her chest. “Beca would be proud of you.”


	8. Quiet Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, it was originally going to be part of chapter 7 but I felt like adding it would overcrowd the chapter with information. So, I hope you enjoy this little bit of fluff. Next chapter we get to celebrate Beca's birthday!

Emily feels much better after she receives a thumbs up text from Jack, labeling his contact before she’s walking back to her friends. She finds Stacie sat at a picnic bench, texting someone with a furrowed brow. “You okay?”

Stacie jumps a little, smiling sheepishly. “Oh, yeah, this guy wants to meet up and I was trying to explain that I’m out with friends but...you know men,” she chuckles, shrugging her shoulders a bit.

“Oh, Stacie, you don’t have to stay if you want to go hang out, I’m not gonna be upset with you for dippin’ out early,” Emily smiles, shoving the woman’s shoulder gently. “Go see him.”

Stacie offers her a smile and a weird shoulder shimmy before she’s standing up to hug her. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she hums, making Emily squeeze a little tighter.

“Don’t have to thank me,” Em replies when they pull away, her eyes flickering around for a moment. “Wait, where’s Chloe?”

“Oh! Right, this guy...Tim, I think? He came over and started talking and then they headed over by the carousel,” Stacie says, pointing toward the ride. “She seemed upset.”

“Fuck, Tom,” Emily sighs, running a hand through her hair. “Thanks, text me when you get home...or wherever you’re going so I know you’re safe, okay?”

“Can do, let me know what’s up with Chloe?” Stacie asks, her brows raised, like she was unsure if she was entitled to that information.

“I will. Have a good night, Stace,” Emily flashes her a smile before she’s jogging off to find Chloe, biting her lip hard.

She finds Tom talking to one of his friends, Chloe nowhere to be seen. Emily stomps up to the man, shoving him forcefully. “What did you say to her, asshole?” She shouts, knowing that if Tom was seeking Chloe out, the results would be bad.

“What the fuck are you talking about, you crazy bitch?” Tom asks, his hands in the air as Emily advances on him.

“Don’t act stupid, Tom, I know you were talking to Chloe and now she’s nowhere to be found,” Emily all but snarls, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “So, what the fuck did you say to her?”

Tom snorts, a stupid smirk on his lips as he shrugs at her. “I just wanted to see if she wanted to have some fun, no harm in that,” he chuckles, nodding at one of his friends. “Thought maybe we could share her.”

Emily growls as she steps toward him, pulling her fist back without a thought and punches him square in the jaw, the force of the hit clacking his teeth together. “Come near her again and I’ll make sure that the only thing you’ll share with another human is the cold touch of doctor’s hands trying to piece you back together.”

Tom looks ready to hit her back, but then there’s the familiar sound of Chloe’s voice cutting through the tense air, snapping them back to reality. “Don’t you even think about it,” she snaps, her hand smoothing over Emily’s shoulder. “Lay a hand on her and I’ll break it.”

Tom looks between the two women, spitting at their feet before he’s ushering his friends away from them. “Are you okay?” Emily asks when they’re gone, turning to look into Chloe’s eyes.

The redhead chuckles, shaking her head as she take’s Emily’s hand in hers. “Your hand is already bruised and swollen and you're asking me if I’m okay?” She asks, brows raised at the younger girl.

“Yeah, I know how Tom gets under your skin,” Emily murmurs, wincing when Chloe presses against her knuckles. “I’m fine though, he just pissed me off.”

Chloe tuts, pressing against Emily’s knuckle again. “I think it’s broken, Em,” she murmurs, offering her hero a small smile. “I appreciate you.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Emily smiles, tugging Chloe along.

* * *

 

They end up by the lake, the sun setting over the horizon, lighting the sky on fire in hues of red and orange. It makes Emily think of Beca as she slides her arm over Chloe’s shoulder and holds her friend close.

“He was being sweet at first and then asked me if I wanted to meet some friends, he kept insisting so I excused myself from Stacie and went with him,” Chloe says softly, her arms slid around Emily’s waist. “That’s when he started acting weird and said some shit...”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” Emily murmurs, squeezing the redhead gently. “I wouldn’t have let you go.”

“It’s not your fault, Em,” Chloe sighs, nuzzling Emily’s shoulder. “He’s just a dick. I had walked off to get some air and when I got back to the picnic table you and Stacie were gone and then I heard you yelling.”

“I watched you punch him and when I saw that look in his eye...I wasn’t going to let him touch you,” Chloe says sternly and Emily can feel the way Chloe’s teeth grind. “That was so stupid, Em.”

“I wasn’t going to let him get away with what he said,” Emily says firmly, shaking her head before she kisses the top of Chloe’s. “I’m okay, I promise.”

“I can tell you’re favoring that hand, will you please let me take you to urgent care?” Chloe asks, pulling away as the sky darkens over the water.

“Fine, fine.”

* * *

 

It turns out that Chloe was right, Emily had broken two of her knuckles against Tom’s face and while she would normally be proud of that feat, the sad look Chloe gives her makes her feel a little guilty.

“Go upstairs and rest, we’ll pick up your script in the morning,” Chloe says as they enter their shared house. “And keep that brace on.”

“Ma’am yes, ma’am,” Emily chuckles, the pain meds making her brain the tiniest bit foggy. “I’m just gonna grab some ice.”

“Alright, please don’t hurt yourself on the way to bed,” Chloe says, her voice soft. “Oh, and have fun telling your soldier you broke your hand.”

“It was two knuckles, not the whole hand,” Emily singsongs, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer before heading up the stairs.

If she was being honest, she hadn’t even thought about what Beca might say when she found out about her knuckles and now that’s all that crowded her overly tired brain. She pushes open her door, smiling as Bun greets her.

She decides to call Beca as she struggles with the buttons on her shirt, plugging in her headphones while she works at them. “ _Hey baby, shouldn’t you be sleeping?”_ Beca answers, the sound of her voice grounding Emily a little.

“I should be, but I’m currently struggling to get my shirt off,” Emily admits, smiling sheepishly even though Beca can’t see her. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing morning rounds?”

“ _I’m already done, finished like ten minutes ago,”_ Beca hums and Emily can hear her rifling around. “ _Why are you struggling with your shirt? Did you get drunk?_ ”

“Not exactly,” Emily chuckles, breathing a sigh of relief when she finally gets her top unbuttoned. “I spent a good three hours in the ER and they gave me good drugs,” she replies, realizing she could have worded it better.

 _“Wait, why were you in the ER? And why didn’t you tell me when it happened?”_ Beca asks, her voice going up an octave as Emily pulls on a sleep shirt. _“Are you okay?”_

“I’m okay, I promise,” Emily hums, shimmying out of her jeans. “Chloe’s ex-said something gross about her and I punched him in the face...I broke two knuckles on that bastard’s jaw.”

 _“Fuck’s sake, Em,”_ Beca breathes out and Emily can picture the wrinkle forming across the bridge of her nose. _“I gotta teach you how to throw a proper punch.”_

“That sounds hot,” Emily giggles, flicking the light off before she’s climbing into bed with her ice pack. “It doesn’t hurt that bad and honestly it was worth it.”

“ _I’m sure it was, but pro tip, don’t aim for the jaw,”_ Beca says, something banging in the background. “ _Aim for the throat and nose, anything soft really.”_

“Mm, noted,” Emily yawns, snuggling into her fleece. “Is it bad that I think it’s sexy that you know how to beat someone up?”

 _“I dunno, is it bad that I think it’s hot that you punched a guy in the face?”_ Beca chuckles through the line.

“I don’t think so,” Emily mumbles, her eyes drifting shut. “I’m sleepy, baby.”

 _“So, sleep,”_ Beca hums in return and Emily can see her eyes rolling. “ _You’ve had a long day, babe. Sleep.”_

“But I miss you,” Emily whispers, afraid of her emotions spilling over. “I just want you here.”

 _“I know, Em, just a few more months,”_ Beca says softly and everything stills in the background. _“I miss you, too.”_

 _“_ Will you stay on the line until I fall asleep?” Emily asks, sounding a little pathetic as she pulls her pillow close.

 _“Of course I will,_ ” Beca says through a soft chuckle, the sound making Emily smile. “ _I’ve got you.”_

“I know you do,” Emily mumbles as she starts to drift off. It’s quiet for a few moments and though Emily is pretty far gone, she can hear Beca pulling the phone away. “I love you,” she mumbles, feeling the phone was a safe distance away that Beca wouldn’t hear.

“ _I love you, too, Em,”_ Beca’s soft voice answers, making the tired girl squeak. _“Now, go to sleep._ ”

“Yes ma’am.”


	9. Heartstrings

“So, did the box finally show up?” Beca asks phone pressed into her shoulder as she putters around her quarters, Lincoln grumbling from the bed. “They said it should be there by now.”

“ _It just showed up, Bec,”_ Emily’s cheerful voice replies and Beca can hear the sound of cardboard rubbing against her shirt. “ _It’s amazing how little patience you have, considering your job.”_

“Patience in the field is far easier than in regular life, babe,” Beca chuckles, scuffing her boots against the floor. “Are you going to open it?”

“ _No, Beca, I’m going to sit on the bed and just stare at it while we talk,”_ Emily snorts, her sarcasm making Beca smile. “ _Of course I’m going to open it, you big doofus.”_

 _“_ That’s Sergeant Doofus to you,”  Beca replies with a chuckle, turning to look at Lincoln, his eyes on her. “Lincoln says hi.”

“ _Ma’am, yes, ma’am,”_ Emily giggles, Beca listening as she plops on her bed. “ _Give my boy some love for me!”_

“You spoil him too much,” Beca hums, but her fingers run through Lincoln’s soft coat nonetheless. “You ready to switch to FaceTime?”

“ _I suppose so, ignore how tired I look, mom and dad have been keeping me plenty busy since the semester ended,”_ Emily chuckles and there’s a pause in the line before she’s calling back to video chat. _“Hey, baby.”_

“Hey yourself, beautiful,” Beca smiles, settling on the bed for the first time that night. “How’s your hand?”

“ _Good, the doctor said I have to wear the brace a little longer, but it’s healing well,”_ Emily hums, waving the black and red brace in front of the camera. “ _Are your ribs still twinging during workouts?”_

“Not really, every once in a while when I do bench presses but I’m pretty sure they’re totally fine now,” Beca hums, snorting when Lincoln shoves his head between her thighs, resting it on her stomach. “Yes, I’m on the phone with Emily, I know.”

“ _Lincoln, are you my good boy? Huh? Are you?_ ” Emily coos, her smile brightening when Beca moves the phone so she can see the dog. _“There you are!”_

Lincoln’s tail beats rapidly against the mattress, his wiggling body shaking the whole bed. “You haven’t even met her yet and you’re already a gooey puppy for her,” Beca chuckles, scratching his ears.

 _“He’s my little boy,”_ Emily grins, wiggling her finger at the screen. _“Aren’t you?”_

Beca rolls her eyes and turns the phone back around, smiling at her girlfriend. “Yes, yes, he’s a good boy and he loves you very much,” she chuckles, leaning back against the pillows. “Now, prop your phone up on your laptop and open the box.”

 _“You are so fuckin impatient,_ " Emily giggles but does as she’s told, running her good hand through her hair. She searches around her bed and nightstand until she comes away with a small pocket knife, cutting through the tape with ease. “ _Happy?”_

“Only when I’m with you,” Beca says softly, watching Emily open the box. She pulls out the shirt first, smiling softly as she fingers the soft material. “I’ve been wearing it to bed on the cool nights, hopefully, it doesn’t like stink or anything.”

Emily raises a brow at her, bringing the shirt up to her nose. She breathes in slowly and comes away smiling. “ _Smells like strawberries and you_ ,” she hums, folding the shirt carefully before setting it on her bed.

There are pictures and some candy and a pair of combat boots, shined perfectly. “ _Wow, these are amazing, I can’t wait to wear them,”_ Emily smiles, holding the boots up.

“They take a few weeks to properly break in, I suggest wearing thick socks with them until then,” Beca replies, her legs propped up on Lincoln. “There’s one more thing in the box though.”

She says it as Emily is picking up the letter with her name on it and it makes her smile. “ _You wrote me a letter.”_

“It’s been great, being able to text and talk all the time, but I kind of missed our letters,” Beca admits, rubbing the back of her neck. “I hope that’s okay.”

“ _Of course it’s okay, you big nerd,_ ” Emily grins, setting the letter on her end table. “ _I’ll read it tonight, okay?”_

“Okay baby,” The soldier hums, shifting so she’s laying on her side, a sleepy smile on her face. “Do you like everything?”

 _“I love it, Beca, thank you,_ ” Emily says softly, her dark eyes warm. _“I love you, like so much, you know that?”_

“I mean I would hope so, it’d be awkward if you didn’t,” Beca teases before she gets a soft kind of serious. “I love you too, Em.”

 _"Good_ , _get some sleep, your birthday is tomorrow and I’m sure Aubrey has something planned,_ ” Emily murmurs, a sad sort of smile on her face. “ _Can’t have you half awake for it.”_

“I wish you could be here,” Beca says softly, her chest aching for her girl across the sea. “That’s my only birthday wish.”

 _“I know baby, I know,_ ” Emily sighs softly, a slight frown tugging at her lips. “ _Soon, we won’t have to miss each other’s birthdays or any holidays for that matter. Soon, it’ll just be me and you and our life together.”_

“Promise?” Beca replies pathetically, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly.

_“Pinky promise,”_

* * *

 

The sound of her door banging open has Beca bolting upright, her blankets tangled around her legs. “What the fuck?” She shouts, running a hand through her messy hair. She’s greeted with the sight of her closest friends standing in a semi-circle around the bed, Aubrey in the middle of them all.

The blonde is holding a cupcake with red frosting, a candle stuck in the middle of it. Aubrey lights the candle and everyone starts singing for her, her cheeks glowing red by the time they finish. It isn’t until Aubrey is bringing the cupcake to her that she realizes that CR is holding her phone up.

“Are you recording this?” Beca asks, her eyes wide, ignoring the candle in her cake. “What the hell, dude?”

 _“She’s not recording, Bec_ ,” A soft voice says and after a moment of fiddling CR turns the phone around so Beca can see her girlfriend on the screen. “ _Happy Birthday, baby.”_

Beca smiles softly, biting the inside of her cheek as she looks at Emily. “It’s so late there...did you stay up for this?”

 _“Blow out your candle and I’ll tell you,”_ Emily chuckles and Beca does as she’s told as if she could wish for anything more than the woman behind that screen. _“There ya go.”_

“Smartass,” Beca huffs, appeasing Aubrey by eating some of the cake before setting the rest on her table. “Now, answer my question.”

 _“What question?”_ Emily smirks and Beca wishes she could kiss the look right off of her face. _“Present time!”_

“Pres-”  
  
“We all pitched in for this one,” Aubrey hums, shoving a package into Beca’s hands, offering Emily a small smile. “Try not to tease her too bad, Em, she’ll combust.”

“Fuck you, Bree,” Beca huffs as she tears into the wrapping paper, her fingers brushing against the box. “Are these?”

“The headphones you lost during that fire last year? Yes,” Aubrey grins, picking up the discarded paper. “We know how much you loved them.”

Beca nods a little, looking up at the people she had called family for almost four years, her throat feeling tight. The headphones she had brought with her had been the last gift Beca had ever gotten from her mother and when their temporary camp had caught fire the summer before, Beca had been devastated. They couldn’t replace them, but they could be special to her all the same.

“Thank you,” She breathes out, swallowing around the lump in her throat. “You guys are...I just..I love you, awesome nerds.”

The group chuckles and they all return the sentiment, Emily beaming the whole time. “This has been great, I can’t remember the last time I liked a birthday.”

“It’s not over yet, Beca,” Aubrey smirks, handing over a card and a small box, her name scrawled across the envelope in Emily’s neat script. “One more.”

“Em, you didn’t have to,” Beca starts, her fingers already ripping the card open carefully, her heart hammering in her chest.

 _“Shush and read the card, dork”_ Emily teases, the smile on her face making Beca blush even harder. She does as she’s told, biting her lip as she takes in Emily’s handwriting.

_My beautiful Beca,_

_Happy birthday! I really hope that you manage to have a good day. I wish I could be there with you, though I’m not sure we would get anything productive done. I can’t wait until I can hold you in my arms and sing happy birthday to you in between kisses. I can’t wait until I get to come home to you..._

_I know it won’t always be like this, I know that and even so, I wanted to get you something to keep me close to your heart. I really hope my gift doesn’t overstep, but I was inspired by your stories of your mother and I just went with it. I really hope you like it._

_I love you so much, my brave soldier._

_-Emily_

Beca has to take a moment to breathe before she looks up at the screen, a stupid little smile on her face as she looks up at this woman who should have been impossible for her to meet. “I love you too, Em.”

The younger woman grins at that, her cheeks pink as she nods to the little box resting on Beca’s thigh. _“Open it.”_

Beca nods and picks it up, pulling the wrapping off gently, her fingers running over the black velvet. She glances up at Emily and then to her friends before she opens it, her breath catching in her throat.

Inside was a beautiful silver locket, musical notes on a staff etched into the front. She brushes her fingers against the details, clearing her throat as she pops the latch open. Inside is a picture of her mother, the sight bringing tears to her eyes. “How did you?”

 _“Jack found some albums in the attic and I scanned one off so I could make it small enough to fit,”_ Emily replies and Beca wonders how she ever got so lucky. _“Read the inscription on the other side.”_

Tears stream down Beca’s cheeks, her lower lip trembling as she reads the small script over and over. _Even when the sun is low, I will bring the light._ The small tweak of her mother’s favorite saying making Beca’s heart clench painfully.

“I love it, Em,” she croaks, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Thank you so much,” her voice cracks and in that moment there’s no denying how hard she had fallen for this woman.

 _“I just wanted you to have something special from me,”_ Emily hums, her own eyes shining, her voice thick. Beca just wanted to reach through the screen and hold her tightly. _“Jack sent you something too.”_

Beca wasn’t sure how much more emotion she could take in one day, but when Aubrey passes her another box, she finds herself suddenly nervous. She hadn’t seen her brother in years. _“Just open it, Beca,”_ Emily hums as if she could read the soldier's mind.

And Beca does just that, leaving the paper on the floor as she pulls the lid off the box. Inside is a small note on top of a stuffed bear that makes Beca’s heart swell. She brushes her fingers against the well-worn fur as she reads the note.

_I thought you could use a partner to keep you safe, I know you gave him to me to be my protector, but I want you to have something to make sure you come home safe. I miss you every day. I know dad has been terrible and I know our family is a mess, but I’m always going to be here to remind you that you do have a home, Beca. I love you so much and I can’t wait to see you again._

_-Love, Jack_

_P.S. Emily is amazing, don’t ever give her up._

Beca lets out the softest chuckle, tucking the note into the envelope that Emily had sent before picking up the bear. “Sergeant B. Growls,” Beca snorts, her fingers brushing against the bear’s small army fatigues, the fabric worn around the edges. “I gave this to him when I was in ROTC.”

“He’s cute,” Aubrey hums, resting a hand on Beca’s shoulder gently. “Now, say goodnight to your girl, we’ve kept her up late enough.

Beca smiles at that, shaking her head a bit as she grabs the necklace Emily had given her, fastening it around her neck as she watches Emily on the screen. “Go to bed, nerd.”

 _“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,”_ Emily giggles, biting her lip. _“Have a good, Bec, I love you.”_

“I love you too, Em,” Beca smiles softly, trying her hardest not to get emotional. She just wished the girl was there with them. “Goodnight.”

Emily blows her a kiss before she disconnects and Beca lets out a the softest sigh, her fingers brushing against the cool metal resting against her breastbone. “It’s not forever, Beca,” Aubrey reminds her and it makes her smile.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add more to this, but much like chapter 7 I didn't want to info dump, so this is short and the next one will be too, but we're getting closer to them meeting!


	10. Reign of Fire

Beca wakes up to find Lincoln curled up around her brother’s bear, his head resting on B’s chest. It warms her heart, to see her present and her past curled up together, Lincoln sleeping soundly. She pulls her phone out from under her pillow, frowning at the time. “Only three,” she sighs, pulling up the camera.

She takes a picture of Lincoln, the flash making him crack an eye open, grumbling softly. “Hush, you’re fine,” she whispers, typing out a small text to send with the picture. _Two army pals just chilling out._

Beca sends it off with a smile, laying back against the pillows to watch the ceiling. She knows Emily is awake, knows she’ll get a lecture for being up too late, but it’s worth it, to be able to talk to her girlfriend.

 _What are you doing up so late?_ She gets back after a moment, the text making her smile even more.

 _I just woke up randomly, I swear._ Beca replies, finding a pinky swear gif to send along with it, knowing the small gesture will make the younger girl happy

The typing bubble shows up for Emily a few times, disappearing after a moment before finally she gets a reply. _I’m sorry you can’t sleep, I’m also sorry that I’m out shopping with my mother and she won’t stop asking about you. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, I just...I can’t type and talk at the same time and I swear my mother never shuts up! I love her to death, but lord almighty._

Beca grins at that, her fingers coming up to touch the locket that’s still hung around her neck. _I think our moms would have gotten along pretty well. Kept each other level. Katherine seems like the type that would have be able to get my mom out of the house._

Beca lets out a soft sigh, staring up at the dark ceiling again. How different would her life be if her mother was still alive? She doesn’t dwell on it longer than it takes Emily to reply and she finds that even when her past weighs heavy on her mind, that Emily can always keep her afloat.

 _I think your mom would have wanted to murder mine, but I mean...they probably would have been best friends, the kind that like get on each others nerves but they love each other, ya know?_ Emily replies and it makes Beca snort softly.

 _Probably._ Beca sends back followed by, _I miss you._  

 _I miss you too, baby._ Emily sends back before she’s sending a spotify link to her. Fumes by Eden, it’d become their song over the last few weeks, on particular line always standing out to them both.

 _If all we have is time then we’ll be alright._ Beca sends back with a small smile, biting her lip. They had nothing but time.

* * *

 

Beca wonders how it had already become October, Halloween creeping around the corner. The nights were getting colder, the days inexplicably hotter and she was constantly being faced with the reality that soon she would be going home to see her girlfriend, her brother and her mother’s grave in just a few short months.

She loved that she would be leaving the sand pit, but it scared her. The desert has been her home for four years, she didn’t know how she would fair with civilians after all this time. What if she was too much? What if Jack saw her and decided that he didn’t really want to be back in her life? What if...what if Emily didn’t want her?

“Mitchell! We need you and your dog for a sweep tomorrow, you better be ready!” A voice calls out to her, her head whipping around to find Captain Stroma standing a few feet away from her. “Second Lieutenant, did you hear me?”

“Yes, Captain,” Beca barks back, standing at attention. “My team will be ready first thing, sir,” Beca hated Captain Stroma, he had been a few classes ahead of her ever since ROTC and never let her forget it.

“I don’t need your team, Mitchell, I just need you and your dog,” He says, stepping toward her, his face inches from hers. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Beca responds robotically, her teeth clenched. It was a rare for someone to ask for a sweep without a handler’s team. She didn’t trust anyone outside of her girls. “Will that be all, sir?”

“All this sir, don’t you remember my name, _Beca_?” He asks, her name sounding vile coming from his lips.

“I do remember your name, sir,” Beca starts, her fists clenching behind her back. “However, sir, we are in a professional setting and it would be unfit for me to address you by your first name, sir!

The captain stares her down for a moment before taking a step back, relaxing his posture. “I give you permission, soldier.”

Beca refuses to relax her stance but nods all the same, knowing the creep wouldn’t leave her alone otherwise. “Whatever you say, _Luke_ ,” she says, her voice as even as she can keep it. “Now, I have to go make sure my partner is ready for his mission tomorrow.”

“Dismissed,” Luke says, turning on his heel with a satisfied smile on his lips.

She couldn’t wait for an excuse to punch him in the mouth like she had all those years again in basic. He fucking deserves it.

* * *

 

Beca is uneasy all morning and it does not go unnoticed by her partner. Lincoln has stayed close, tucked around her legs since they headed out early that morning. Stroma hadn’t even let them have a proper meal before they were being packed into the truck.

She sneaks Lincoln bits of jerky when no one is watching, trying to make sure he had enough energy to stay focused when they got to the site. She does her best to seem calm, but there was something about the mission that was making her anxious.

She had never personally worked with Stroma, or his team and she wondered briefly if this was revenge for picking Aubrey’s squad. Although they both knew she had little say in the matter, but Aubrey had wanted her and so she had her.

“Alright soldiers, we’ve been assigned to sweep these cars and clear them, they want to send troops through here as soon as possible,” the captain starts and Beca stands up a little straighter. “We clear this as quickly and as painlessly as possible, you will all be watching Mitchell’s back while she takes the dog through the area.”

“You are not to move from your designated spots until she gives the okay to move forward, no one is losing a limb today, understood!” He shouts and everyone responds in unison. “Let’s move!”

Beca sighs softly as she steps out of the truck, the familiar itch of anxiety crawling up her spine as she surveys her surroundings. There’s a small line of totalled cars sat in a staggered line, nothing. In the distance she can see another couple of cars and it makes her stomach clench.

“We should be checking those out first,” She says, pointing toward the other hill, Lincoln standing ready next to her. “There could be people over there and this could be a trap.”

“Mitchell, who is the captain here?” Stroma says, making her grit her teeth as she looks up at him. “Cause it sure as hell isn’t you.”

“I’m aware, I’m but I am the bomb squad and I have a right to make this call. You know that.” Beca says despite herself, she knew better than to mouth off to a commanding officer.

Stroma gets in her face this time and she has to use a hand signal to keep Lincoln from attacking him. “Get your ass searching before I bump you so far down the food chain that you’ll never see that mutt again, got it?”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she spits, sarcasm dripping from the words as she shoves him out of the way so she can start forward, letting Lincoln’s nose lead the way.

They find three buried bombs before they reach the cars, marking each on with a little red flag. The first car is clean and the second one comes up with a bag of something in the backseat that Lincoln growls at. She marks it with a flag stuck in the windshield before moving on to the next.

She freezes when she opens the door, sat in the passenger seat is mass of C4 and there’s a timer that is slowly counting down. She backs away slowly, leaving the door open before her and Lincoln are running back to the truck.

“We need to leave, now,” Beca says through puffs of air, Lincoln pacing next to her. “There’s a bomb ready to go off in that car and there’s no telling if the timer on it is accurate or just a distraction.”

“So, you want us to abandon the mission, let a bomb go off and potentially compromise this road for future missions?” Stroma asks, his voice dripping with malice. “What kind of soldier are you?”

“A smart one,” Beca growls, Lincoln joining her, the sound rumbling in his chest. “We need to leave.”

“I don’t remember putting you in charge, Mitchell,” The captain spits before he’s heading off toward the car. “I’m going to take care of this problem so you can go back to work and I can file to have you demoted.”

“You’re going to get us all killed!” Beca shouts, her voice echoing across the sand. “Fucking moron,” she kicks the truck’s tire, looking around to all of the gunmen watching her.

“You know I’m right,” she says to them, her eyes narrowed as she puts Lincoln back into the truck. “You stay here until that idiot pulls his head out of his ass.”

Lincoln whines softly but lays down, watching Beca step away from the truck. She lets out a soft sigh, turning her head to watch her useless captain fiddling with the bomb, is head barely showing through the windshield.

She’s about to go yell at him more when they start to take fire, a spray of bullets kicking up sand by her feet. “Everyone take cover, I’m going for the captain!” She shouts before she’s taking off, knowing this may be her only chance to keep Stroma from taking Lincoln away from her.

She skids in the dust next to the car, Stroma curled up in the driver’s seat, his head down. “Get up you fucking idiot,” Beca huffs, smacking one of his boots.

“I don’t think I can run, a bullet ricocheted off the dash and clipped my leg,” He replies and sure enough she finds blood when she finally sits up, keeping her head low.

“If I get killed trying to save your ass, I will fucking haunt you every day for the rest of your life,” Beca huffs, moving so she can help him out of the car. “Stay on my left side and keep your head down.”

He surprisingly does as he’s told and she hands him her gun, his left discarded by the truck. “Cover fire,” he says dully as he puts his arm and the gun over her shoulders.

“Maybe you aren’t so stupid after all,” She grunts, taking on half of his weight as they make the trek back to the truck.

She can see Lincoln straining against his leash, one of the other soldiers keeping him from running into fire for her. She loved that mutt, but he was going to get himself killed one of these days.

They reach the truck when it happens, she’s handing Stroma off to the medic, pain explodes along her right thigh and arm. Sucking in a deep breath she forces herself to move, to get back into the truck, to keep Lincoln safe.

Blood is soaking her uniforms once more, staining the soft green fabric almost black. “I told you, you fucking moron, I told you we should have searched those fucking cars!” Beca screams at Luke, ignoring the way her dominate hand tingles when she balls it into a fist.

He can’t even open his mouth to reply before she’s smashing her own blood covered knuckles into his jaw. “You could have gotten us killed because you wanted to showboat, prove that you’re better than me. Well here’s a fucking newsflash _Luke,_ you will never be better than me.”

“You can have a higher rank, fuck you could even get me kicked out of the army, I don’t give a shit, you will always be a sorry excuse for a soldier and an even sorrier excuse for a human fucking being,” her words taste bitter but satisfying, watching the man rub his jaw and remain quiet.

Her blood is smeared across his face and her hand throbs, the pain over taking the previous pins and needles. “Remember this when you’re following orders next time, you might find that your leader is incompetent.”   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are, two months before they meet and Beca is getting shot, Emily is just going to love this.


	11. When You Love Someone

“What do you mean you got shot?” Emily asks as she paces the length of her room. “How did you get shot...again?”

 _“It’s not that big of a deal, Em, they only had to do minor surgery,”_ Beca replies and Emily can picture the older girl shrugging at her. _“And I told you, the douche bag in charge was an idiot and I figured that if I saved his dumbass, he would be less inclined to try and take Lincoln away.”_

“He shouldn’t have threatened you at all! And anyway, since you’re literally the one keeping them from blowing up, shouldn’t you have command in that kind of situation?” Emily speeds out, throwing a hand into the air. “It seems really stupid that you weren’t.”

 _“Yeah, well, Luke’s had it out for me since we were in ROTC, he’s older than me so I’m not really sure why, maybe it’s because I wanted to date the nerdy theater major instead of him?”_ Beca sighs, something banging in the background. _“Regardless, he hasn’t spoken to me since and I still have Lincoln so, it’s fine.”_

“It’s not fine, Beca, you got hurt again,” Em huffs out, stopping her pacing only to let Bun back into the room. “I don’t like that you’re hurt.”

 _“It’s all part of the job, Em,”_ Beca murmurs and Emily can hear Lincoln’s familiar whine in the background. _“I promise I’m okay, what’s a few more scars if I’m still alive?”_

“You promised me that you would come home in one piece...” The younger girl sighs, finally flopping down on her bed. “I’m so scared that one of these days you’re just going to disappear...”

 _“I’m not going anywhere, baby,”_ Beca says firmly, making Emily smile slightly. _“I promise.”_

“Pinky promise?” Emily asks softly, her chest still tight. There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t worry about losing her girlfriend.

_“Pinky promise.”_

* * *

Emily can’t get the image of Beca bleeding out of her mind as she putters around the bar, her body on auto-pilot. “Earth to Emily,” Chloe’s voice sounds behind her, making her jump, the glass she had been drying hitting the ground with a crash. “What’s got you so distracted?”

“It’s nothing,” Emily says softly, shaking her head as she bends down to start picking up the larger shards of glass. “Just been a long day.”

“You never keep things from me, Em,” Chloe hums, pulling a hand broom and dustpan from under the bar. “And now you’re bleeding.”

Emily blinks at her own hand, watching the red drip down her fingers. She hadn’t even felt the glass cut into her. “I’m fine,” she replies softly, tossing the shards into the trash. “I’m gonna go clean this up and I’ll be back.”

She doesn’t give the redhead a chance to reply before she’s headed off to the bathroom, feeling like a robot. Emily rinses her hand, ignoring the slight sting the soap brings on. She’s not sure where the tears come from, but they’re pouring down her cheeks as she stands hunched over the sink.

Emily sucks in a slow breath, her chest tight as she grabs a few paper towels, wrapping her finger in one, dabbing at her face with the others. Her phone starts vibrating the moment she’s sure she’s about to lose it, Beca’s face flashing across the screen as she pulls it out with shaking hands.

“You’ve got to be psychic,” Emily all but gasps out when she answers the call, hoping her voice doesn’t sound as hoarse as she thinks it does. She didn’t know she needed Beca until she had the opportunity to talk to her.

“ _While I would like to say I sensed a disturbance in the force, Chloe actually texted me,”_ Beca says softly, her voice sounding thick, like she had just woken up. “ _Baby, what’s wrong?”_

Emily lets out a sound that’s somewhere between a chuckle and a sob, her free hand clutching the side of the sink. Of course Chloe texted Beca, she had given her Beca’s number for emergencies. “I just...”

 _“It’s okay, I’ve got you,”_ Beca hums, the warmth in her tone soothing the younger girl slightly. _“I’m here, babygirl.”_

“I can’t stop thinking about you being hurt,” Emily whispers out finally, her chest tightening painfully. “You’re so far away and I can’t protect you and I’m so scared that I’m going to lose you, Beca...I can’t lose you.”

Beca sighs softly over the line and Emily can hear the soft rustle of sheets before Beca is speaking again. “ _I’m going to hang up and Facetime you, okay?”_ She asks and Emily lets out a soft okay before the line clicks off.

The few seconds it takes Beca to call back feels like years to Emily, but then her phone is vibrating again and she can see Beca’s face in the low light of her room and it feels like a weight has lifted off her chest. Her love was whole and safe and smiling a soft little smile at her.

 _“Oh baby,”_ Beca says softly, her brow furrowing slightly. _“Look, I’m okay,”_ she murmurs, gesturing at herself. _“I’m safe.”_

Emily nods, sniffing softly as she scrubs at her cheeks. “I just couldn’t get the thought of you hurt and bleeding out of my head,” she breathes out, shaking her head a little. “Like, I know you’re a soldier and it's part of the job and you’re a lot tougher than you look, but that doesn’t mean I’m not terrified that one day I’m going to wake up and you’re going to be gone.”

 _“Em, breathe,”_ The soldier says softly, running a hand through her hair. _“I know when you hear that I got shot, you instantly jump to worst possible scenario, but I promise it wasn’t that bad, I can even prove it to you.”_

“How?” Emily asks, her voice starting to even out a bit as she takes in how intact Beca seemed. Her fears were still present but it was slowly getting easier to breathe.

 _“Let’s take the tour of the Beca Mitchell wound museum,”_ Beca chuckles and Emily knows it’s meant to make her laugh, but it just makes her worry. _“This was my first ever bullet wound, I was just a  rookie then, before I even met Lincoln, we were going through a town, bringing supplies to families when we were ambushed, I was protecting a little girl on the streets.”_

Emily’s eyes are drawn to where Beca has pulled down the collar of her shirt, pointing to an uneven scar just under her collarbone. _“They had to do surgery to pull the bullet out and I was in rehab for months and yet, here I am.”_

Emily nods, watching Beca shift the camera to her left arm, showing off another uneven scar, this one thicker than the last. “ _This is actually partially from a burn, our camp caught fire and I caught my arm on a piece of hot metal trying to get out of the barracks, no rehab for that, but it healed real ugly.”_

Emily snorts softly, shaking her head. “Do wounds ever heal pretty?” She asks despite herself, shifting so she can sit, her back against the wall.

“ _Funny you should ask that,”_ Beca chuckles, holding up her left palm. “ _I don’t know that you can actually see them, they’ve faded quite a bit over the years but I have these really thin scars that kind of look like streaks of lightning from my cousin’s cat.”_

“I bet it was a ferocious beast,” Emily chuckles, clearing her throat, trying to rid herself of the thickness in the back of her throat. “Can I see the new ones?” She asks softly, unsure if it would make her feel better or worse.

 _“Yeah, of course,”_ Beca murmurs, shifting again, holding the phone between her knees. “ _changed the dressings before bed, so they shouldn’t look too bad.”_  She ends up taking her shirt off, not bothering with modesty as she peels away the gauze over her wound.

 _“So, I have this one on my bicep, they were worried about nerve damage when I was first brought in because of some tingling in my fingers, but they did an EMG and everything came back normal, they said the tingling should stop after I’m fully healed,”_ Beca explains softly, showing off the through and through bullet wound on her arm.

 _“Then I have the one on my side, it was through and through too, clipped my side, I didn’t even realize I was hit there until we got back to the base and I was being shipped off to medical,_ ” Beca hums, peeling the gauze away, showing her the line of stitches long her side. _“Clean as a whistle.”_

Emily nods again, her chest feeling lighter knowing Beca would have a relatively speedy recovery. “And what about the one on your thigh?” She asks, biting her lip as Beca pulls her shirt back on.

“ _That’s the one that gave them trouble, they think it ricocheted off of the truck and hit me, because there was no exit wound, but the bullet didn’t hit bone, which it should have and shattered it if it had hit me dead on_ ,” Beca says, grabbing the phone so she can straighten her legs out, wincing slightly.

“ _They had to open me up to pull it out, but that’s the worst of it, they say I’ll need some therapy to strengthen the muscle back up, but I’ll be okay,_ ” she murmurs as she pulls back the gauze, showing a longer line of stitches up the side of her thigh. _“It won’t heal pretty, but it’ll heal.”_

Emily takes in a slow, smooth breath before she’s smiling a bit, leaning her head against the wall. “Thank you, that makes me feel a little better about everything,” she croaks out, her voice would carry the tell tale signs of her crying for a while.

“ _I’m sorry that I worry you,”_ Beca says softly, leaning back against her pillows. “ _But, I promise that I’m not going to just disappear. I filed to have you put into my emergency contacts and if for some reason that doesn’t go through, Aubrey has your number, she’ll make sure you’ll always know what’s going on with me, okay?”_

“Okay, baby,” Emily replies softly, raking a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry that I’m keeping you up with this nonsense.”

“ _Hush, I’d rather miss sleep and know you’re okay than sleep when you’re hurting,”_ Beca smiles softly, shaking her head a bit. _“I love you, you know that, right?”_

“I know,” Emily nods, her smile widening as her heart skips as it always does when Beca says those words to her. “And I love you.”

“ _Good, cause you’re stuck with my dumbass,”_ Beca chuckles, the sound soothing Emily completely, _“Now, I should let you go so you can get back to work, but promise me that you’ll call or at the very least, text me if you need me.”_

“Stuck makes it sound like I’m an unwilling participant and that is far from being factual,” Emily snorts, glancing up at the bathroom door. “I promise that I will text you if I need you, in turn I want you to promise to get plenty of rest and to not be stubborn with the doctors.”

 _"That’s a hefty promise, Sunshine,”_ Beca teases, a smirk on her lips. “ _But, I will promise to do my best, okay?”_

“That’s all I ever ask,” Emily smiles softly, just taking in how beautiful her girlfriend is before she sighs softly. “Call me when you wake up, okay? I don’t care if I’m sleeping.”

 _“Okay baby, I will, now get back to Chloe before she thinks you died,”_ the older girl replies, lifting her chin as if to point toward the door. “ _Try and have a goodnight, I love you.”_

"I will, sleep well baby,” Emily murmurs softly, her eyes warm. “I love you, too.”

Beca ends the call after blowing her a kiss and Emily stays sat on the floor for a moment, trying to pull herself together completely before she stands up and prepares to head back out to the bar.

Her phone vibrates as her hand grabs the knob, Beca’s name flashing across the screen. Emily clicks the notification without thinking, pulling up their text thread and a picture of Beca with her shirt pulled up to her chin. _Since you seemed too distracted to appreciate them when we were on the phone._

Emily nearly drops her phone, her cheeks burning as she sends a line of blushing emoji’s back before she pockets the device and heads out. This woman would surely be the death of her.


	12. Dream a Little Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for the kind thoughts and well wishes, I screenshot all of your comments before I deleted the hiatus announcement. I'm back to writing, for now, it seems to help. So, please enjoy.

“Beca is going to be here in less than a week,” Emily squeaks as she clears off the table, carrying the dishes to the sink.

“Are you nervous?” Chloe asks, leaning against the counter as she pops an olive into her mouth.

“What do you think?” Emily huffs, turning on the faucet to rinse the pile of dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.

“I mean I didn’t really have to ask, you always clean when you're nervous,” Chloe replies, tossing an olive into the air, pouting when it hits her cheek instead of her mouth. “Like now, you’re doing dishes even though Amy and Lilly said they would.”

“Just want a clean house when she gets here...” Em sighs, popping a detergent pack into the slot before shutting the door and starting the cycle. “I just want to impress her.”

“Em, she’s in love with you, you don’t have to impress her,” the redhead chuckles, reaching out to grab Emily’s hand, dragging her into a hug. “The house will be clean, we will be on our best behaviors and you will be happy.”

Emily smiles, squeezing the shorter girl tightly, kissing the top of her head. “I love you, Chloe,” she hums, glad that her friend understood. “I’m just kind of afraid that she’s going to meet me and decide...whoops, never mind.”

Chloe shakes her head, pulling away to tap Emily’s nose. “Stop that, she _loves_  you _,_ Emily, she’s not going to change her mind after meeting you,” she says firmly, brows raised. “If anything she’ll love you even more.”

“Thank you,” Emily smiles softly, sighing when he hears a small crash upstairs. “I hope whatever that was is fixable.”

“One can only hope,”

* * *

“Hey Stacie,” Emily calls when her friend steps into the bar, brushing snow from her jacket. “Is it still coming down pretty hard?”

“Yeah, I doubt it’s going to stop anytime soon,” the older woman sighs, settling down in the barstool across from Emily. “I’ll just have a water, please.”

“No shots, who are you and where is Stacie?” Emily chuckles, getting Stacie’s water with a smile.

“She’s pregnant,” Stacie deadpans, making Emily spill a little water onto the bar.

“Wait, what?” Emily asks, quickly cleaning up her mess, brows knitted together. “I thought you were on the pill.”

“Yeah, apparently it doesn’t always work,” the brunette replies bitterly, hands sliding around the glass in front of her.

“That’s heavy,” Em murmurs, reaching to grab Stacie’s wrist, squeezing gently. “I’m here for you, I’ll help however I can.”

Stacie is quiet for a moment, just sipping her water before she opens her mouth, eyes glued to the wood grain below her hands. “I’m keeping it. This may have been an accident but I’m...I can’t...”

“It’s okay,” Emily says softly, leaning her elbows on the bar. “You’ve got us Bellas to help out and you’ve got a nice paying job and you’re such an amazing person. You’re gonna be a great mom, Stace.”

Stacie smiles slightly but shakes her head. “I don’t know about that, my mom was terrible,” she says softly, her thumbs rubbing circles against the glass. “I’m scared that I’ll end up like her.”

“The fact that you’re scared of that, just proves that you’re nothing like her,” Emily hums, moving her hands over Stacie’s, stilling the quiet fidgeting. “You are one of the kindest and loving people that I know. You’ve been nothing but sweet to me since day one and the Bellas love you and honestly, I think Chloe has a bit of a crush on you. You just radiate warmth, dude.”

“You’re soft, you know that?” Stacie chuckles out, a tear slipping down her cheek. “You and the Bellas have been a blessing since I met you. I finally feel like I have a place to call my own.”

“You’re family, Stace,” Emily grins, leaning across the bar to kiss the older woman’s forehead. “And we all love you.”

“I love you guys, too,” Stacie smiles warmly, shaking her head. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Good karma goes a long way.”

* * *

 _“You excited for tomorrow?”_ Beca asks, her hands working to roll her clothes. _“Cause I am, despite the like twenty hours of traveling I’m going to be doing in about four hours.”_

“I am very excited,” Emily chuckles, leaning back against her pillows. “I cleaned the whole damn house top to bottom just for your arrival.”

 _“You didn’t have to do that. I live in a desert in basically a wooden box, any place with a decent bed is a step up,”_ Beca shakes her head, squeaking when Lincoln jumps onto the bed, shaking the whole thing.

“What’s Lincoln going to do without you?” Em asks, scratching her sheets in an attempt to get Bun to climb up next to her.

“ _He’ll be okay, we’ve been working with another handler for a little while now and he’ll mind his manners,”_ Beca grins as Lincoln thumps his tail against the mattress. _“The likelihood of him having to go on a mission is slim too.”_

“That’s good, hopefully, he won’t miss you too much,” Emily stretches, trying and failing to mask her yawn.

 _“Babe, it’s like so late there,”_ the soldier states, tucking a shirt into her bag. _“You should sleep.”_

“I want to stay with you,” Em pouts, her arms crossed over her chest. “Just for a little longer,” she whines, leaning forward to drag Bun into her lap.

 _“I’ll let you stay up until I’m done packing,”_ the older woman hums, rolling up another shirt. _“Sound fair?”_

Emily huffs out a little sigh, burying her face in Bun’s soft fur, mumbling out a little. “Fine,” before she glances up at the camera again. “I just miss you.”

 _“I miss you, too, Em,”_ Beca hums, smiling softly at the camera. _“Just a few more hours, yeah? Then we’ll have some cheesy airport scene and I’ll get to meet your friends and you can take me around to all my old spots and I can tell you if they’ve changed.”_

“Sounds perfect,” Emily says quietly, clutching her cat a little tighter when he tries to squirm away. “I just want you to love me,” she pouts when Bun frees himself from her grasp.

 _“I’ll love you enough to make up for him being rude,”_ Beca chuckles, pausing her folding to scratch Lincoln’s ears. _“Besides, you have a mutt that loves you too.”_

“But I want everyone’s love,” Emily sighs, her mouth forming into a sleepy pout, her big brown eyes shining.

 _“You’ve got it, babe,”_ Beca grins, tucking away the last of her laundry into her bag. _“It’s time for you to sleep, love.”_

“But, I want to stay with you,” Emily huffs, trying and failing to hide her yawn. “Just a little longer?”

 _“You agreed to sleep when I was finished packing,”_ her soldier reminds her, those brows quirked at her. _“You need to rest, I’ll be there soon.”_

“I agreed to no such thing,” Emily lies, despite curling into her pillow. “I just wanna stay with you.”

 _“Please sleep, for me,”_ Beca hums, shifting so she’s also laid down, her hair falling in her face.

“God, that’s not fair,” the younger girl sighs, her lips curling into a smile. “You’re so fucking beautiful, how could I ever say no to you.”

 _“All is fair in love and war, babe,”_ Beca chuckles softly, pushing the hair from her face. _“And anyway, you’re the beautiful one.”_

“We can share,” Emily says around a yawn, rubbing her eyes. “I suppose I’ll sleep, for you.”

 _“Good girl,”_ Beca murmurs and fuck do those words make Emily melt. _“Goodnight, Emily.”_

“Goodnight, Beca,” Em mumbles softly, her words a little muffled by the pillow. “Sweet dreams when you sleep, I love you.”

 _“I love you, too,”_ Beca replies just as soft, her dark blue eyes seeming to shine in the low light. _“Sweet dreams, baby.”_

Emily hums out a little goodbye before she hangs up, her eyes falling shut as she cradles the phone to her chest, thoughts of seeing her girlfriend swarming her tired mind. Her dreams are warm and sweet and full of prospect for the coming month.


	13. Closer

Beca's exhausted by the time her final flight touches down in Atlanta, she’s been up for nearly thirty-five hours and though there had been times she had been away for longer. All those times she had adrenaline rushing through her veins, this time she was forced to sit through three flights, run through two airports and deal with jetlag and the issue that was her ears. 

They refused to pop the entire time she’d been traveling and she was truly tired of the constant pressure headache. “Excuse me, ma’am, do you have any suggestions for getting your ears to pop other than yawning and chewing gum?” She asks a flight attendant who was walking down the aisle. 

The woman turns her megawatt smile toward the soldier and waves a hand. “Oh, that’s easy, me and the girls used to have to force our ears to pop when we first started,” she starts, before she brings her hand up to her face. “Just take a deep breath, pinch your nose and gently try to blow the air out from your nose,” she continues before demonstrating. 

“Thank you very much,” Beca says, her brows raised a bit but as soon as the woman is walking away she tries it, nearly crying with relief when her ears pop. It’s a little painful and it makes her jaw hurt a tiny bit but she can already feel her headache starting to ebb away. 

Once they’re allowed to start exiting the plane, Beca suddenly feels nervous, butterflies swarming in her gut as she pulls her backpack from the overhead compartment and makes her way into the airport.

Her hands shake as she shoots Emily a quick text to let her girlfriend know that she would be showing up soon. When she doesn’t receive a response, the butterflies kick up once more, their fluttering growing stronger as she approaches the revolving doors ahead.

Everything seems to slow as soon as she’s cleared the doors. Emily is standing there looking more beautiful than Beca could ever imagine. She hasn’t spotted Beca yet, which gives the soldier a moment to just take her in. 

Emily is wearing a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, the bottoms tucked into a pair of black, heeled boots. On top, under her jacket, she’s got on what looks like a soft flannel in a shade of blue that makes Beca rethink her favorite color because it looks stunning against Emily’s tanned skin. 

As soon as Beca’s eyes travel up her neck and along her strong jaw, Emily had caught sight of her, her face breaking into the most breathtaking smile Beca had ever seen. 

In that moment she drops her bag and sprints toward her girlfriend, covering the distance between them in an instant, scooping Emily into her arms, effectively crushing the bouquet of flowers that were in her arms. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Beca grins before planting a kiss to Emily’s lips, spinning them around. 

Emily giggles against her mouth, trying to wiggle an arm free before Beca lets her down, her cheeks pink and chest heaving. “You’re the beautiful one.” 

Beca rolls her eyes, tipping onto her toes to press another kiss to Emily’s lips. “I can’t believe I’m here.” 

“Me either,” Emily breathes out, a hand smoothing up Beca’s neck to cup her cheek. “God, it feels like I’m dreaming.” 

“I’m right here,” Beca murmurs, sliding a hand to the back of Emily’s neck, gently bringing the younger woman close, their foreheads pressed together. “I’m real.” 

“I love you,” Emily whispers and it makes Beca’s breath hitch and her heart stutter. She couldn’t wait to spend her life hearing those words tumble from Emily’s lips over and over. 

“I love you, Em,” Beca hums, brushing their noses together. 

“I hate to interrupt, but I’m pretty sure Chloe will explode if we’re late for lunch,” a voice says from somewhere behind Beca, causing the soldier to turn. “Hey, soldier girl.” 

The woman is tall and her body curves in all the right places. Her blue eyes sparkle under the light and her smile is bright, Beca’s bag is already pulled over her shoulder. 

“Stacie, right?” Beca finally asks once the familiarity of the other woman sets in. “Nice to finally meet you.” 

Beca holds out a hand to the other woman, her back straight. She wanted to make a good impression with Emily’s friend. 

Stacie rolls her eyes and uses the extended hand to pull Beca into a hug. “We’re all friends here, you can just hug me.” 

Beca is stiff for a moment but relaxes just as quick, returning the embrace. “Thank you for taking care of Emily.”

“I should thank her, she takes care of me,” Stacie replies, chuckling when she looks up to see Emily frowning at the remains of the bouquet in her hands. “Casualty in the war of love it seems.”

And that makes Beca turn around a grin on her face at the pout Emily was giving her. “Oh baby, you didn’t have to bring me flowers, clearly you are more than enough.

“Yeah, but babe!” Emily huffs, holding out the mangled bouquet toward the older woman. “The poor flowers just wanted to be loved.” 

Beca tilts her head to the side as she takes in the mess of flowers, her eyes suddenly feeling misty as she realizes the only one left intact is a yellow rose. “Em, look,” she hums, lifting the rose from the remains of the other blossoms. 

“Holy shit,” Emily says with a gasp, her smile wide. “That’s so...amazing,” she finishes finally, seeming unable to find a more suitable word.

“Am I missing something?” Stacie asks, her brows raised at the single flower in Beca’s grasp. 

“Yellow flowers were my mother’s favorite,” Beca replies, her tone soft as she brings the flower to her nose. “Sweet as sunshine.” 

The soldier looks up finding two sets of warm eyes on her and her cheeks go red as she cuts her gaze to the bag Stacie is still holding. “Give me that, you shouldn’t be carrying it.”

“I’m pregnant, not useless, shut up,” Stacie snorts, readjusting the bag with her brows raised in challenge. “Fight me, dwarf.” 

Beca blinks a few times, her mouth opening and closing before she just starts laughing. It’s a full-bodied laugh, her chest heaving with the effort as the sound echoes off the walls.  

“Oh my fuck, you’re beautiful, we’re gonna be good friends,” she says between chuckles, shaking her head a bit. “Come on, let’s go get my duffle and we can get out of here.” 

She offers Stacie’s a grateful smile as they move forward and Beca uses her free hand to hold Emily’s. “You should toss those other flowers, I have everything I could ever want, right here.” 

Emily’s soft smile makes Beca feel warm from head to toe and even as Emily tucks the mess into the garbage, Beca can’t help but love how the younger girl had wanted to gift her with such a beautiful thing. 

“What’s your duffle look like?” Emily asks as though she was ready to pick it up herself.

Beca snorts softly and hands Emily the rose she had kept. “Don’t worry about it, I’ve got it,” she replies, stepping up to the already filling conveyor. 

Emily goes to argue but Beca has the duffle in her sights and ignores her girlfriend, reaching the plain tan bag before Emily can even finish her protest. Beca wraps her fingers around the handle and easily lifts the large bag up and onto her shoulder. The whole thing is about the size of Beca, but somehow, with the hulking canvas pack that is now resting over the soldier’s left shoulder, she doesn’t look small at all. 

“Gee willikers,” Emily breathes out and Stacie snorts, nudging her. “What?” 

“You can say fuck, ya know,” Stacie teases, making Emily blush as Beca starts to head toward them again. “She’s hot as fuck.” 

Beca steps up to them, her brows knitted together as she looks between the two. “Why are you two staring?” 

Stacie scoffs, rolling her eyes as she gestures vaguely in Beca’s direction. “Dude, you’re buff,” she says as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Beca’s head tilts slightly, the crease in her brow growing deeper. “I’m...I’m a soldier, that’s kind of the point?” 

“Oh my god,” Stacie huffs out, shaking her head as she looks at Emily who is still staring at Beca with that dumbfounded look. “Beca, you can’t just go and show off that kind of strength in front of Emily, I think you broke her brain!” 

Beca glances at Emily, finding a pair of warm chocolate eyes still glued to her. “Fucks sake, I’m just...can we go? I thought we had a lunch we couldn’t be late for,” ducking her head to try and hide her blushing cheeks.

“Gosh, you’re right, we need to get a move on so that you have time to shower and change and maybe have a cup of coffee,” Emily says, seeming to snap out of her daze. 

Beca follows them toward the front, nearly making it to the doors before she’s being stopped by a young blonde woman and a little girl who couldn’t be more than five.

“I’m really sorry to bother you, I know you must be busy but my daughter just begged me to come and say hello to you,” the woman says, her blue eyes darting toward the little girl. “I tried to tell her that you’re busy but...”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Beca says, moving so she can rest her bag on the floor and kneel in front of the little girl. A pair of forest green eyes take her in before her little face breaks into a smile. “What’s your name?” 

“Seraph,” the little girl replies, a small hand brushing deep brown curls from her eyes. “My aunt was a soldier, mama takes me to see her all the time.” 

Beca smiles at that, glancing up at the blonde woman for a moment to see her misty-eyed with a sad little smile on her lips. “I bet she’s brave,” Beca finds herself saying, tapping the little one’s nose. 

“Oh, she was! She got a Purple Heart!” Seraph replies and before Beca can stop her, the little one is throwing herself into her arms. “Thank you for everything you do,” it’s murmured and Beca thinks there’s a crack in her voice but chooses to ignore it while she squeezes the girl. 

“I’m proud to do it,” she says once Seraph has moved back to her mother’s side, her eyes wide and wet and her smile a little wobbly. “I have to get going but I’m really glad I got to meet you, have a great day, okay?” 

“We’re picking up mama, she was at a conference so it’s going to be a great day!” The little one grins, nearly vibrating next to the blonde. 

Beca smiles softly, glancing between the two before grabbing her bag again. “Thank you, I know you didn’t have to do that,” the blonde says, taking Seraph’s hand. “Have a good day.” 

“Don’t mention it, I’m happy to make her day better,” Beca grins, reaching to ruffle Seraph’s dark hair. “It was nice meeting you.” 

The blonde returns the smile and is promptly tugged off toward a screen, Seraph asking what plane her mother was on. 

Beca looks up and sees that her companions are staring at her again and this time she doesn’t hide the blush that crawls up her neck. “What?” 

“Nothing, you’re just really sweet,” Emily replies, offering Beca her hand. “I think you made her whole day.” 

“She just wanted someone like her aunt to thank and I’m happy to take a moment out of my day to let her have that,” Beca hums, lacing their fingers together. 

“You’re great with kids,” Stacie says softly, poking Beca’s duffle. “Who knew.” 

“Having a younger sibling does that, Stace,” Beca shrugs, smiling once they’re out in the cool, crisp December air. “I missed the cold.”

“You’re so weird,”

* * *

 

Beca sighs softly as she runs a towel over her hair, her body already starting to catch its second wind. Between the warm shower and the ability to change into civilian clothes bringing her out of her previously exhausted state.

She shuffled to Emily’s room, a towel wrapped tightly around her body, smiling when she encounters Bun in the middle of the hallway. “Hey, mister.”

The fat cat tilts his head at her before moving to twist around her ankles, effectively plastering her damp skin with fur. “Love you too, Bun,” she hums before walking into her girlfriend's room. “Hey.” 

“Hey yourself,” Emily smiles from her spot on the bed. “How was your shower?” 

“Much needed and amazing,” Beca grins as she closes the door. “Would have been better with you, though.” 

Emily’s cheeks go pink as her smile grows broad. “You and I both know that we wouldn’t have accomplished much washing up together.” 

Beca smirks slightly, dropping the towel as she heads for the clothes she had laid out, biting her lip when Emily makes a soft sound from the bed. “But think of all we could have accomplished otherwise.” 

“You’re killing me, Becs,” Emily groans, flopping back on the bed. “Put clothes on before I make us horrendously late.” 

“As you wish,” Beca hums, pulling on a pair of jeans and a soft, faded red button up, which she left open as she leans over Emily. 

Emily opens her eyes slowly, deep brown irises meeting ocean blue ones and her smile returns, soft and warm. “You’re so beautiful,” she says for the second time that day, bringing a hand up to trail along Beca’s jaw.

“That’s you,” Beca murmurs, leaning down further, brushing their lips together. 

The kiss quickly turns from soft and sweet to something filled with heat, Emily’s hands sliding along Beca’s ribs. The soldier sighs into the kiss, letting her body press against every inch of Emily that she can, rolling her hips slowly. 

Emily moans so softly Beca wonders if she imagined it and so she repeats the action, nipping at her girlfriend’s lip to elicit a louder response. “Fuck, I could listen to that all day, but if I don’t pull away now, Stacie will probably come barging in to remind us about lunch.”

Emily pouts and pulls Beca into one more searing kiss before letting the shorter woman move away, leaving Emily to pant against the bedspread. “You’re all mine tonight.”

“That better be a promise,” Beca hums as she buttons her shirt, leaving her damp hair to hang around her face. 

“Are you going to blow dry your hair?” Emily asks, watching Beca tuck her shirt into her black skinny jeans. “You might get sick if you don’t.” 

“I’ll be fine,” Beca replies, sitting down to pull on socks and a battered pair of blue converse. “If I blow dry it, it’ll be a poofy mess.” 

Emily narrows her eyes for a moment before shrugging, standing up from the bed a little too quickly. “Easy there, tiger,” Beca says, putting a steady hand on Emily’s arm.

“I’m good, just head rush,” Em hums and Beca smirks, standing on her toes to kiss her girlfriend softly.

“It’s cause all the blood rushed south beforehand, huh?” She teases, earning a half-hearted slap to the arm from Emily. “Not my fault that you get turned on easily.”

“Fuck you,” Emily huffs, her lip poking out. The sight just makes Beca smile as she steps closer, sliding her arms around the younger girl. 

“You’d like that too much,” Beca breathes against Emily’s ear, smirking at the shiver her words cause. “Now come on, we have a schedule to keep, apparently,” she says as she pulls away, finding Emily’s cheeks are pink as ever. 

“You’re not wrong,” Emily sighs, running a hand through her hair quickly. “But you are an ass,” she finishes as she opens the door for Beca, watching her walk down the stairs before following after her.

“Come on, pitches, time to hit the road,” Stacie says with a grin, making Beca chuckle. “We have fifteen minutes to get to the lunch before Chloe has a meltdown,so get your cute butts in the car.” 

“You heard her get moving,” Emily says, pinching Beca’s ass, making the soldier squeak. “Oh my goodness...that was...”

“Adorable!” Stacie finishes for her, making Beca blush hard. “Awe, look at her face! She’s so red.” 

“I hate you,” Beca huffs, stomping out the door, the girls’ laughter following her as she heads to the car. “Assholes.” 

“You love it,” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to anyone migrating from another story of mine and get the cameo I have in this. Enjoy
> 
> find me at agoddamnsupernova.tumblr.com if you want to chat about the story, or anything really


	14. Happier

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is just kind of a filler chapter to get an idea of Beca's first day back without making it overly drawn out or glossing over it by just skipping to the next day. Hopefully, you enjoy the little bit of fluff.

The moment they step into the crowded restaurant, Beca is overwhelmed. Too many people, too much noise and the air is overly warm and stale. They’re lead to a private room toward the back where there’s a handful of people, one of whom looks like he’s about to wriggle out of his seat.

“Jack?” Beca blurts out, watching her little brother finally fly out of his seat to slam into her, his head resting right below her chin. “You’re here, how?”

“Emily told me that you were coming home today, so Chloe picked me up from school and brought me here,” he replies, looking up at Beca with those big brown eyes that made her heart melt. “I missed you.”

“Oh, Jack,” she murmurs, hugging him tightly. “I missed you, too, buddy,” Beca clears her throat, pushing back the tears that threaten to spill over. She looks up at the group of people watching them and feels her cheeks burn.

Her eyes find Emily’s and she just smiles, her heart clenching in her chest. “Thank you,” she says, before her eyes cut to the rest of the group. “All of you. I know I only know a couple of you decently, I appreciate you all coming to make me feel welcome.”

There’s a soft cheering from the group before Chloe is ushering everyone into their seats. Beca at the head of the table with Jack to her left and Emily to her right. Her heart swells as she takes it all in. This was her life, this was for her and it was all because of Emily.

She turns her head toward her girlfriend, a dopey smile on her face as she reaches for Emily’s hand. “You are so amazing,” she says softly, her heart stuttering when Emily’s face cracks into a grin. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

They’re sat in the back of Stacie’s car, Jack curled into her side. “Jack, where does dad think you are?” she finds herself asking, her fingers carding through his hair slowly.

“At a friend’s house, but mom knows where I really am,” he murmurs, nuzzling Beca’s jacket. “She’s glad you’re back.”

Beca smiles softly at that, turning her head to kiss the top of his. “I’ll have to stop by the house when dad’s at work and thank her then, huh?” She chuckles, earning a small smile from the boy.

“You could come in with me when you drop me off, dad is at a seminar til later,” Jack says, hope shining in his eyes.

“Oh, buddy, I would love to come in and say hi to Sheila and sit with you some, but I really need some sleep, I’ve been up for nearly two days now,” it kills Beca saying no to him, damn near breaks her heart seeing how sad he looks. “But, I am doing something for Em’s birthday at the end of the week and if you think that she could bring you, then you’re both welcome to come, okay? I'll send you all the details.”

His face splits into a wide grin and he all but vibrates in his seat. “That means I can get Emily a present, right?” He asks, patting his hands on his thighs.

“The only present I need, is you being there, okay?” Emily replies, turning in her seat to smile at him. “Cause you’re the best gift ever.”

Jack sniffles softly, scrubbing at his eyes before he shakes his head. “You’re a sap, Em.”

“Love you, too.”

* * *

 

Beca collapses on Emily’s bed the second the door is closed, her body sagging against the mattress. “I’m sorry we were out late,” Emily murmurs as she steps up to the bed, her hands moving Beca’s laces.

“Hush,” Beca yawns, stretching her arms over her head. “You don’t have to take my shoes off, ya know.”

“I know, but I want to,” Em smiles, taking a sneaker off, tossing it toward the open closet. “Let me take care of you, you’re exhausted.”

Beca opens her mouth to protest but once her second shoe is off and Emily is working her thumbs along her calf and she loses any fight she had left in her. “Fuck,” she breathes out, letting herself relax into Emily’s pillows. “You’re good at that.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Emily hums, working her hands up to Beca’s thigh, kneading the muscle slowly. She smirks when Beca lets out a satisfied little moan. “You’re cute, Lieutenant.”

Beca rolls her eyes, snorting softly as she sits up to wrap her arms Emily’s waist, pulling the younger girl down with her. “Cute is your department, ma’am.”

Emily giggles softly, shifting so she’s laying half on top of Beca, nuzzling the soldier’s chest. “I think we can share the department, I mean you could be department head and I’ll just be the manager.”

“You’re such a dork,” Beca chuckles, digging her fingers into Emily’s side, grinning when giggles fall from her lover’s lips. “You’re cheesy and adorable and I am completely, one hundred percent in love with you.”

Emily eventually rolls on top of Beca completely, pinning the soldier’s arms to stop the assault, her chest heaving slightly. “You are all of those things too, ya know?” She breathes out, leaning down to brush their lips together. “And I love you more than words can say.”

Beca smiles against her lips, a lone tear slipping down her cheek. “I’m so lucky,” she whispers, turning her head to wipe her cheek against her shoulder.

“I’m the lucky one,” Emily replies just as quietly, releasing Beca’s hands so she can turn Beca’s face back to her. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”

Beca leans into Emily’s touch, her eyes closing for a moment as her arms slide around the young woman’s waist. “I don’t want to sleep yet, I just got here and we didn’t really get to talk much today.”

Emily smiles that beautiful fucking smile that makes Beca’s heart to gymnastics in her chest and she knows that she’ll do whatever her girlfriend asks of her. “We have all month to talk, you’ve been up for ages and you need rest.”

“Fine...but you’ll sleep with me, right?” Beca asks, earning herself a soft kiss. “Is that a yes?”

“Duh,” Emily chuckles, shifting off of the bed to walk to her dresser. “Now, you gonna find your own pajamas or shall I give you something?”

Beca sits up slowly, her nose crinkling in thought before she starts unbuttoning her shirt. “Can I...would it be okay if I slept in something of yours?” She asks softly, suddenly unsure of herself.

“Of course it’s okay,” Emily chuckles, pulling a sweatshirt from one of her drawers, bringing it to the soldier. “It’s my very first Barden shirt, it’s pretty worn but I like that sort of feel.”

Beca takes the soft shirt, rubbing the worn material between her fingers. “Thank you,” she murmurs, setting it on the bed before she continues to undress.

“You don’t have to thank me, you’re my girlfriend, what’s mine is yours,” Emily grins, tossing her shirt into the hamper before she starts shoving her jeans off. “You can have anything you want.”

Beca is quiet for a moment while she pulls on Emily’s shirt, taking a moment to bury her nose in the collar before turning her gaze back to her girlfriend. “I just want you.”

“I’m yours.”


	15. Morning Work Out

Emily grumbles as she buries her face deeper into the pillow, irritated by the sunlight streaming from the window. “Five more minutes.”

“Em, you’re off school, you don’t need to ask for five more minutes,” Beca chuckles and Emily frowns at how far away her voice sounds.

“Bec?” She mumbles, her hand patting around the sheets to find her girlfriend was not next to her. “Why’d you leave?”

She hears Beca sigh before there’s a soft thud and then the edge of the bed is sinking down. “I woke up before you and couldn’t bring myself to bother you so I started working out.”

“Working out?” Emily asks, her eyes opening to find Beca in nothing but a pair of baggy shorts and a sports bra. “Jeeze Louise, that’s one way to get me awake,” she breathes out, sitting up slowly.

Beca chuckles softly, shaking her head as she stands back up. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand your fascination with me being strong.”

“Beca the fact that you could probably crush my skull with your thighs is such a turn on,” Emily replies, grinning at the blush creeping up Beca’s neck.

“I doubt I could crush your skull with my thighs,” Beca says after a moment, though her cheeks are still pink. “But I _can_ crush a watermelon, CR saw some video of someone doing it and challenged every girl in the camp and I was one of the few that could.”

Beca seems proud of the feat, which makes Emily smile before images of Beca crushing a watermelon flash through her mind and it becomes uncomfortable to sit the way she is. “You’ll have to show me sometime,” she says finally, after adjusting her position to alleviate the ache that’s formed between her thighs.

“It’s a waste of a perfectly good watermelon, Em,” Beca snorts before she’s getting onto her knees causing Emily’s breath to hitch. “I just have a few more push-ups to do and then I’m going to shower, okay?”

Emily clears her throat, bunching the blankets up in her hands as she nods “Yeah, that’s-yup okie dokie.”

Beca chuckles as she starts her workout again, Emily’s gaze trailing up her arms, along her shoulders and down her back, watching the toned muscles move. “Fuck.”

“You’re very distracting,” Beca hums as she comes up from the floor, turning her head to look at Emily.

“I’m distracting? Imagine how I feel waking up to you just casually doing push-ups like a Roman goddess on my floor,” Emily snorts, throwing the blankets off so she can climb out of bed.

“You’re a gay mess,” Beca chuckles she lowers herself down smoothly, a soft squeak coming from her lips as Emily trails fingers up her spine. “Christ, Em.”

“What? I’m only touching a little...” Emily replies innocently, smirking slightly. “You’re just so beautiful.”

Beca lets out a soft huff before she moves to sit up, humming when Emily’s arms slide around her. “I’m sweaty and gross, far from beautiful.”

“I beg to differ,” Emily replies, kissing her shoulder softly. “If anything, I think it makes you even more so.”

“Em...” Beca breathes out as Emily trails kisses up her neck slowly.

“Yes, baby?” Emily whispers against her ear, Beca shivering against her.

“Can I please shower before, I’m gross right now,” she says after a moment, as though the thought of waiting was excruciating. It was.

“Why don’t we just take this to the shower then?” Em grins before she’s dragging her teeth against Beca’s pulse.

Beca lets out a soft sound as Emily shifts them so they can stand up, her arms still around the soldier’s waist. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

“At least you’ll die happy,” Emily teases, nipping at Beca’s ear before pulling away to grab towels.

“You’ve got me there,” Beca chuckles, rummaging in her bag to pull out fresh clothes.

“Oh, Beca...you’re funny if you think you need clothes after this,” Em smirks, a brow raised at the older woman.

“I...but-you...fuck!” Beca stutters out, shoving the shirt she had pulled out back into the bag. “You don’t live alone, Emily.”

“Pretty much everyone has headed home for the holidays already and the ones still left are out by now, trust me,” Emily grins, shaking her hips as she moves to the door. “I know the people in this house like the back of my hand, we can do whatever we want for the next few hours.”

“Anything?” Beca smirks, the mischief shining in them making Emily blush. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Chrimeny,” Emily breathes out, the work making Beca laugh.

“Mind your profanity, Emily,” she teases as she walks out into the hall and down to the bathroom. “You curse like my grandmother.”

“Shut up! I grew up in a small town,” Emily defends, marching after her girlfriend. “We didn’t curse in my family.”

“I’m sure I can make a few choice words fall from those lips,” Beca replies smoothly, stepping up to Emily, eyes flickering to her lips.

“I-you’re...dammit,” Emily huffs out, grabbing Beca’s face in gentle hands to pull her into a hard kiss.

Beca hums against Emily’s lips, pushing them back slowly, pressing Emily into the wall firmly. “There’s an almost curse word,” she smirks, trailing her lips down Emily’s neck.

“You’re such an ass,” Emily sighs out, her fingers tangling in Beca’s hair, tugging gently.

Beca growls softly against Emily’s collarbone, her hands sliding from Em’s hips to hook under her thighs and lift her effortlessly. “You love me,” she murmurs, pressing Emily into the wall harder.

“Jesus Christ,” Emily squeaks out, her nails scraping against Beca’s scalp, her heart skipping a beat. “How the fuck?”

“Oh, a real curse and we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” Beca smirks, nipping at Emily’s throat. “I’m a soldier, you weigh next to nothing to me.”

“Why is this such a turn on?” Emily gasps out, the last few words sounding more like a moan as Beca works her neck, surely leaving her marked.

“Cause I’ve literally got you in the palms of my hands,” Beca replies between nips, rolling her hips against the taller girl slowly. “I could do anything I want to you and I think you like that idea.”

Emily whimpers softly, every roll of Beca’s hips turning her gut into a wildfire. “Beca...” she breathes out, catching her lower lip between her teeth.

“Tell me what you need, baby,” Beca hums against Emily’s pulse, squeezing her thighs gently.

“I need you,” she whispers, her head thumping against the wall as Beca bites down against her pulse.

“Not specific enough, Em,” Beca chuckles softly, drawing another moan from the other woman.

“Touch me,” Emily whimpers, pressing her hips into Beca. “Please.”

“I could be an ass and make you be even more specific, but I’ll refrain,” Beca teases before she’s pulling Emily away from the wall to walk them into the bathroom. “I still want to shower though, think you can be patient enough for the water to get warm?”

Emily nods but when Beca sets her on the counter she whines until Beca is kissing her hard, taking her breath away. “I’m never going to get used to kissing you...”

Beca smiles against her lips before pecking them once more, pulling away to turn on the shower. Emily pouts from her spot, arms crossing over her chest. “You look like a five year old who just got told that dessert had to wait til after dinner.”

“You’re rude,” Em replies, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend.

“Don’t stick that out unless you plan on using it,” Beca replies as she’s pulling her sports bra off, leaving Emily speechless while she stares.

Her eyes follow the curve of Beca’s neck, down along her collarbone before settling on her chest, a soft moan slipping from her lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

Beca rolls her eyes before she’s walking back to Emily, gripping the hem of her shirt. “I want this off you’re entirely over dressed.”

Emily nods and practically rips the shirt off of herself before pulling Beca in for a kiss, inhale sharply as Beca presses them skin to skin.

“You make my brain go haywire,” Emily murmurs against Beca’s lips, sighing when Beca’s fingers brush along her sides.

“I know the feeling,” Beca chuckles, brushing their noses together. “It shocks me sometimes. That this is all real, ya know?”

Emily smiles softly, moving her hand to Beca’s wrist, curling them around it gently to bring the soldier’s hand up to her chest, pressing it firmly over her heart. “I’m real, baby. I’m real and I’m yours.”

“Mine,” Beca says softly before pressing their lips together once more. “I’m so lucky."

“We both are,” Em hums, sliding her hands up Beca’s back slowly. “The shower should be ready.”

Beca snorts softly as she pulls away, shoving her shorts down. “Hop in, I gotta grab the towels you dropped.”

Emily blushes as Beca walks out of the room shaking her head a bit. She slides from the counter, her knees shaking from Beca’s teasing. “Christ,” she breathes out, pushing her sweats down before climbing into the shower.

Emily hears the soft thud of the door, along with the click of the lock and then Beca is climbing in behind her, sliding her arms around her waist.

“I missed you,” Emily hums, leaning back into Beca’s embrace, the water rolling down her chest.

“I wasn’t even gone a minute,” Beca chuckles softly, pressing even softer kisses along Emily’s shoulders.

“I’ll always miss you when you’re away,” Emily sighs out, her eyes falling shut as Beca’s hands trail down her sides.

“Sap,” Beca replies and Emily can feel her smile against the muscles of her shoulder.

“You love me,” Emily grins, a soft sound falling from her lips as Beca’s teeth scrape against the base of her neck.

“Very much,” Beca murmurs, splaying her fingers over Emily’s hips. “I’m never going to get used to having you under my fingertips.”

“I know the feeling,” the younger woman says softly, biting her lip as Beca’s hands slide down her thighs, dragging her nails along the skin. “Shit.”

“I’ll make a sailor out of you yet,” Beca grins against her neck before she’s peppering kisses along Emily’s shoulders again.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” Emily repeats for the second time that morning, her contented sigh turning into a low moan as Beca teases her with barely there touches. “But what a good way to die...”

“You’re not allowed to die on me,” Beca whispers, her tone suddenly very serious. “Even if it would be in a good way.”

Emily smiles softly and turns to face her girlfriend, resting their foreheads together. “I’m not going anywhere, Beca,” she breathes out, brushing their noses together. “But you have to promise that you’re not either.”

“I promise, Em,” Beca replies, her lower lip trembling ever so slightly. “No dying.”

Em lets out a satisfied hum before crushing their lips together, burying her hands in Beca’s damp waves. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Beca murmurs, her hands sliding up and down Emily’s back slowly. “So much.”

Emily practically melts into Beca, the softest sigh passing her lips as Beca drags her nails up her back slowly. “Fuck, Bec,” Em moans lowly, her grip on Beca’s locks tightening.

“I’m getting there,” Beca promises, bringing her hands back to Emily’s hips. “I just want to savor this...you.”

Emily’s heart skips in her chest and she surges forward to kiss Beca firmly once more. “As sweet as that is and as amazing as you are...I don’t think I can handle much more teasing,” she admits, nipping at Beca’s lip.

Beca makes a soft sound that makes Emily groan softly before the soldier is pushing her back against the wall. She gasps as her back makes contact with the cool tile. “Shit.”

“Whoops,” Beca smirks before she’s trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, easily distracting Emily from the drastic shift in temperature. She could lose her mind like this and not complain once.

“Whoops my a-fuck,” she stutters, Beca’s lips brushing against her breast. “Does this mean you’re done teasing?” Emily asks, regretting it as soon as she catches Beca’s eyes.

“You’ll see,” the soldier hums before she’s taking Emily’s nipple between her teeth gently, tugging just enough to elicit a low whine. “You make beautiful sounds.”

“Shut up,” Emily huffs, squeaking when Beca bites a little too hard. “Hey!”

“Don’t tell me to shut up when I’m complimenting you then,” Beca chuckles before smoothing her tongue over the tender skin, Emily shivering under her.

“God,” Em breathes out softly, her head thumping against the tile as she does her best to keep her knees from giving out.

“Beca will do just fine,” the soldier hums as she drags her nails up Emily’s thigh slowly. “I don’t mind if you wear my name out, babe.”

“You’re so cocky,” Em whimpers as Beca’s fingers creep closer and closer to where she needs them. “Beca, please...”

Beca grunts softly against her skin before giving in, her fingers brushing against Emily’s clit with the softest touch. Emily almost growls in frustration but then Beca’s fingers are sliding against her with a little more force and the sound comes out as a low moan.

“You’re so wet for me,” Beca hums, pressing kisses along Emily’s chest as her fingers work their magic every stroke causing Emily’s nails to dig deeper into Beca’s shoulders.

Emily just whines again, nodding her head as Beca’s fingers press a little more firmly, sending a jolt through her. “Fuck...Beca I-fuck.”

“Tell me what you need baby,” Beca whispers, her lips dragging along Emily’s jaw slowly. “Tell me and it’s yours.”

“I-inside, please, Beca, I-please,” Emily feels silly for being so needy but she’s so close and every time Beca touches her it feels like she’s pouring fuel on the fire.

She goes to beg again, opens her mouth to do so, but Beca’s lips are crushing themselves against hers as two fingers push inside of her. She cries out against Beca’s lips, her arms winding around the soldier's shoulders to pull her as close as possible.

It doesn’t take more than a couple thrusts before Emily is tensing up, her knees shaking as her orgasm courses through her. She moans Beca’s name lowly as her muscles shudder and quake.

Beca’s free arm locks around her waist to keep her up while she brings Emily down, pulling her fingers away once Emily as relaxed. “Fuck,” Beca chuckles before bringing her fingers to her lips, licking them clean with a smirk.

Emily groans lowly, biting her lip hard before she’s pulling Beca in for another searing kiss, tasting herself on Beca’s lips. “God, you’re so fucking hot.”

“You’re one to talk,” Beca hums, pressing soft kisses all over Emily’s face, her strong arms keeping Emily steady. “I almost came just from seeing you.”

“Wait...seriously?” Emily asks, her eyes wide as Beca blushes slightly. “Jesus.”

“You can say that again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the smut will be in the next chapter, please don't kill me for where I ended this


	16. Unlocked Doors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy

As much as Emily would like to say that she returned the favor before their shower was over, she couldn’t. Beca had insisted on cleaning them both up, going as far as washing Emily’s hair with gentle fingers, humming a soft tune while she did it.

“You’re too good for me,” Emily chuckles out, feeling oddly sleepy as Beca instructs her to stand under the water so they can rinse her hair.

Beca snorts as she runs her fingers through Emily’s hair and Em can hear the frown in Beca’s voice. “I think it's the other way around, Em.”

Emily waits until Beca is done before speaking up, pulling the small brunette to her, holding her tightly. “Honey,” Em murmurs, pressing soft kisses against Beca’s hair. “There is no such thing as too good, I was just kidding. You are perfect for me. Your crazy matches my crazy.”

Beca chuckles at that, her breath warm against Emily’s collarbone. “You just keep saying things that make me fall harder and harder for you, Junk.”

Emily smiles softly, pulling away just enough to catch Beca’s eyes, finding herself getting lost in them once more. “Just when I think you’ve hit the barrier for beauty, you smash right through it. You’re so fucking amazing.”

Beca’s cheeks warm, her eyes flickering from Em’s lips to her eyes and back again. “We should get out of the shower, otherwise we may never leave.”

“Would that be so bad?” Emily asks softly, leaning her head down to brush their lips together. “No war, no classes, nothing but you and me and the warm water.”

Beca smiles, trailing her fingers along Emily’s jaw. “As much as I would love that, we’ve got lives to live.”

“I know,” Em murmurs, pressing their foreheads together, her eyes falling shut. “I just want you all to myself.”

“I’m all yours,” Beca chuckles, her hands sliding down to Emily’s hips. “And soon, I’ll be done with my tour and you’ll be stuck with me.”

“Stuck makes it sound like a bad thing,” Emily hums softly, pulling Beca as close as possible. “Being with you could never be bad thing.”

Beca makes a soft sound before their lips are crashing together again, fingers digging into skin, the need to be close overtaking them. It takes them another fifteen minutes and the spray of cooling water before they finally tumble out of the shower, giggling and dripping.

“Hand me a towel,” Emily hums and Beca does as she’s asked, holding out the plush towel with a smile. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” Beca replies as she runs the towel over herself, a slight smile on her lips.

“Like I’m at the center of the whole world,” Em chuckles softly, draping the towel over her head before ruffling through her hair.

Beca waits until Emily is finished to reply, warmth flooding those sapphire eyes. “Cause you’re the center of my world.”

Emily squeaks softly, heat rising up her neck. “I-that was cheesy, Beca,” she mumbles out, hiding her face with her towel. It’s almost too much when Beca looks at her like that, it makes her heart flutter and her palms sweat. It’s ridiculous really.

“It’s just the truth,” Beca murmurs, moving the towel away from Emily’s face, letting it hit the ground with a soft thud. “I really don’t know what life would be like if we hadn’t met. You bring so much light to my life, Em.”

Em swallows hard, a shaking hand coming up to cup Beca’s jaw. She shouldn’t be nervous, this was Beca. “I feel the same way,” she whispers out as if they hadn’t said more meaningful things to each other before. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, more than I could ever put into words,” Beca says before their lips are crashing together and Emily is being pressed into the wall once more.

Emily slides her arms around Beca’s shoulders, pulling her close. There’s a moment when Beca’s thigh is pressing between her own where Emily is sure she’s died and gone to heaven. But then Beca’s fingers are digging into her hips hard enough to pull them forward against her thigh and Emily is crying out, her head thumping against the wall.

“You’re so fucking breathtaking,” Beca huffs against Emily’s throat as she continues to guide the younger girl’s hips into a faster pace.

“Fuck, Beca...” Emily moans out, her hands moving to grip the soldier’s shoulders tightly. “I’m so close.”

And it’s fucking ridiculous that she’s this close after _everything._ There’s just something about Beca that has her lit like a fuse, burning hotter the closer she got.

“B-Beca,” Emily pants out, her knees shaking as Beca continues to press her thigh closer, moving Emily’s hips a little harder.

Emily can feel Beca’s smirk against her pulse before she’s kissing her way up to whisper, “come for me, babygirl,” into her ear.

That’s all it takes for Emily to cling to Beca as her body shakes, every nerve ending lit aflame, a chorus of Beca’s name falling from her lips.

“Fucking Christ,” Emily mumbles against Beca’s shoulder, her whole body trembling. The soldier’s arms are the only thing keeping her up and she knows she should be embarrassed, but she can’t bring herself to be.

“Beca is just fine,” the shorter woman chuckles, shifting until she’s scooping Emily into her arms. “I don’t think you can make it to the bed again.”

“Fuck you,” Emily snorts softly, but doesn’t argue against Beca picking her up. It’s too much of a turn on.

“I already did that,” Beca smirks and Emily just rolls her eyes and lets her girlfriend have it, because she’s far too exhausted to try and be witty.

When they get back to the room, Beca all but tosses Emily onto the mattress, a grin on her face. “What?” Emily chuckles, shifting against the pillows.

“Nothing, you’re just cute is all,” The brunette hums before she’s climbing on top of her girl. “You look like you need a nap.”

Emily shakes her head, wrapping her arms around Beca, pulling her close. “No, it’s your turn. I just need a second to catch my breath.”

Beca hums softly, tilting her head to kiss Emily’s jaw. “Shush, I can wait. Nap.”

Emily pouts for a moment but it’s ruined when she’s overcome with a yawn. “Fine, I’ll nap, but no longer than an hour.”

“Okay baby.”

* * *

 

Three hours pass before Emily awakens to Beca between her thighs and it takes her far longer than she’d like to admit to figure out that she’s not dreaming.

“Holy fucking shit,” Emily groans, her fingers tangling in auburn tresses. “Fuck.”

“I knew I could make you cuss,” Beca hums, fingers curling just right, killing any comeback Emily could have formed.

“Fuck,” Emily repeats, her hips jolting forward. She was on fire, white hot flames licking their way from her core across every inch of her being and Beca’s tongue was the spark that started it all.

She’s so ready to combust, let herself be consumed entirely as her back arches off the mattress, pulling her closer, closer... _closer._

 _“_ Wake up, love bi—holy fucking shit,” Stacie squeaks out, causing Emily to jump hard enough to dislodge Beca from the bed entirely.

“What the fuck, dude!?” Beca squeals, scrambling to pull something, _anything,_ over her exposed body. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“I—the door...” Stacie trails off, shaking her head. “Anyway! I wanted to invite you for lunch, but I see you’ve already eaten.”

“Stacie!” Emily yells, throwing a pillow at the tall brunette.

“Looks like it’s _noon thirsty.”_


	17. Teasing

Brisk air fills her lungs, the comforting ache of excursion keeping her warm as her feet pound against the frosty concrete. She felt so at ease, letting her legs carry her around the familiar campus. It was strange being back in the place she had almost called home, but at the same time, it felt right. 

She was here and she was safe and she was with the most amazing woman. She was happy, truly so, for the first time in years. 

Beca is in almost around the university when Emily calls, the picture that pops up making her smile. “Hey, babe,” she answers, making sure the mic on her headphones isn’t rubbing against her jacket. “What’s up?” 

“ _ Hey, could you head back a little early? Stacie is having some car trouble and I said I would give her a ride if she fed me, but I didn’t want to leave without you _ ,” Emily hums over the line and Beca pauses her steps to smile softly. 

“Yeah, I’ll head back now, tell the brat that I’ll look at her car too,” Beca replies, turning on her heel to head back to the house. “Oh, and Em.” 

_ “Yeah?” _

“I love you,” she grins because it makes her overly happy that Emily hadn’t wanted to leave without her. “Like, so much.” 

_ “I love you, too,”  _ Emily giggles, the sound making Beca’s heart flutter in her chest.  _ “I’ll see you soon?”  _

“I won’t be more than ten minutes, you can time me,” the soldier replies with a chuckle, her legs already carrying her toward her destination. 

_ “Later, dork.” _

* * *

 

"Okay, the bad news is, you need a new carburetor,” Beca says from under the hood of Stacie’s car. “Good news is, if the part store has the one we need, I can have this finished before tonight.” 

“Holy shit,” Stacie breathes out, running a hand through her hair. “How much is it going to be?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Beca replies, standing up straight, a little grease smeared on her hands. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I can’t let you do that,” the other woman says, holding her hands up. “I don’t mind paying you, at all.” 

“Stacie, you’re a pain in my ass,” Beca grins, leaning against the car. “But, you’re family now and family doesn’t pay.” 

Stacie is left dumbstruck, gaping like a fish for a moment before she’s surging forward to hug Beca tight. “Thank you, you little twerp.” 

“No problem, legs,” Beca chuckles, hugging the taller woman back, her brows raised at Emily. “Alright, let me clean up, we’ll eat, get you to work and then I’ll find a shop that has what I need and get to work.” 

“This is amazing,” Stacie grins, turning to look at Emily. “You better not let this one go.” 

“I’m not planning on it.”

* * *

 

“How is she so hot?” Emily asks as she and Stacie wait for Beca to wash up. “Like...did you see her?” 

“She makes grease look good,” Stacie agrees, shaking her head a bit. “You landed a goddess, Em.” 

“Oh man, I know,” Em replies, but it mostly comes out like a puff of air. “You should see her work out...fuck.” 

“God,” Stacie sighs out, running a hand through her hair. “It’s fucking ridiculous that you talking about Beca is making me hot. I haven’t had sex in months.” 

“Really?” Emily asks, turning to look at the older woman. “Why not?” 

“No one wants to have sex with the pregnant girl,” Stacie huffs, leaning her head back to look at the ceiling. “Plus, I might have feelings for someone.” 

“Chloe?” Em snorts out, bumping their shoulders together. “You aren’t exactly subtle. When I have you two in the same room, it’s like watching a slow burn fanfic in real life.” 

“I...have no idea what that means,” Stacie chuckles, shifting so she can link their arms together. “Okay, so I know I might not be subtle, but I really don’t think Chloe likes me. I mean, we talk about the weirdest shit.” 

“That’s just how Chloe is. She’s an open book when she likes someone,” the younger girl grins, squeezing Stacie’s arm. “You should ask her to be your date to my birthday thing.” 

“That’s so lame.” 

“Gotta start somewhere, Conrad.”

* * *

 

“Emily, I can not get this fixed if you keep looking at me like that,” Beca says, her head under the hood. “You’re very distracting.”

“What do you mean? I’m just watching you,” Emily replies innocently, but they both know better. Emily was enjoying this far more than she should be. 

“Every time I look up, you’re looking at me like you’re about to pin me to this car and fuck me,” Beca hums matter of factly. “And you can’t do that while I’ve got tools in my hands. I’m liable to fuck something up.” 

“I would say that I’m sorry, but...” Em trails off and though Beca can’t see her, she can hear the smirk in her voice. “I’ll go make us dinner or something since we only had time to get something small for lunch with Stace.” 

“Awesome, I’ll be done here soon,” Beca replies, listening for the door to shut before letting out a soft sigh. “What am I going to do with you?” She chuckles to herself as she tightens a bolt. 

It takes her another twenty minutes before she’s finally finished, beaming with pride when the car starts on the first try. She hadn’t been under the hood for quite some time and was happy to find that she hadn’t forgotten the skill. 

“I still got it,” she grins at her reflection in the rearview mirror. She does a happy little jig in the seat before cutting the engine and getting out of the car. Now all she had to do was clean up again and eat before she and Emily took the car to Stacie. 

“Guess who is the best girlfriend in the world,” Beca calls out as she walks into the house, heading straight for the kitchen sink. 

“I already know that answer,” Em giggles as she adds the finishing touches to their meal. “Did you get it working?” 

“Of course I did,” the soldier snorts, pouring a generous amount of dish soap into her hand. “We can take it over to Stacie when we finish eating.” 

“Good, she’ll be thrilled,” Emily smiles, setting two plates full of pasta on the table. “And I bet she won’t even mind that I used the last  jar of alfredo.”

“I think as long as we bring her some, it’ll be fine,” Beca responds as she continues to scrub at her hands. “Fucking grease is annoying.” 

“Maybe, but you make it look hot,” Emily sighs dreamily before she’s sliding her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. “Like, really hot.” 

“You’re gay,” Beca chortles, the sound getting cut short when Emily’s lips brush against the base of her neck. 

“I’d sure hope I am,” Emily breathes against Beca’s skin, causing a shiver to go down her spine. “In fact...why don’t I show you?” 

“Fuck.” 

They end up reheating their dinner and scarfing it down before they head off to Stacie’s office, both vowing to never let Stacie know they had sex in her kitchen.

* * *

 

“Ms. Conrad is on a call right now, she’ll be finished up shortly, would you like to wait in the hall by her office?” Ellie, the receptionist informs them with an all too bright smile. 

“Yeah, I know where it is, thanks,” Emily smiles, nudging Beca toward the hallway. “I hope she’s not too much longer, I hate that you have to stay late when she does.” 

“Don’t even worry about it, I’m not going to say no to a few minutes of overtime,” the girl replies with a chuckle and Beca rolls her eyes. 

“Be nice,” Em hisses under her breath, shoving Beca toward Stacie’s office. “She’s really nice.” 

“She’s really fake,” Beca snorts, earning herself a slap to the arm from her girlfriend “Hey! That wasn't nice.” 

“If you’re going to be rude, then you’re going to be treated as such,” the younger woman huffs, crossing her arms over her chest once they reach the office labeled with Stacie’s name. “You’re such an ass.” 

“I just call it as I see it,” Beca hums, pulling out her phone, looking bored. “No one smiles like that unless they’re covering up a shitty personality.” 

“Oh my god,” Em rolls her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. “You’re ridiculous.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Ellie can yo--oh, hi guys,” Stacie offers a strained smile before turning her head down the hall. “Ellie, can you push my three o’clock tomorrow back an hour, I have to fit someone else in!” 

“Can do!”

“Cool, great,” Stacie sighs softly, running a hand through her hair. “Alright, sorry about that, this is all very stupid.” 

“No worries, we brought your car,” Beca replies, jingling the keys. “We can stay and keep you company if you’re going to be a while.” 

“Thank you so much,” Stacie replies, taking the keys, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “I am actually finally done, I just have to lock up and we can go.” 

“Awesome, we made you some dinner and I made sure to clean up your garage and everything,” Beca says with a smile, rocking on her heels. “Unless you’d rather come over and have a movie night with us and Chloe.” 

“Oh, uh, yeah that would be nice,” Stacie says, her cheeks going pink. “I should go home and change though.” 

“Why? Afraid Chloe might not like business wear?” Emily quips, a smirk on her lips. “Or is it that you think she might find you hotter like this?” 

“You’re such an asshole!” Stacie whines, going as far as to stomp her foot. 

“She learned from the best,” Beca grins proudly as Emily slings an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Conrad, let’s get you some.” 

“You two will be the death of me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy filler chapters are the best, right? I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
